Ombra d'amore
by Silverexorcist
Summary: This isn't love. Why does my heart hurt when he's with her? This isn't love. When I see them kissing, why do I want to run and hide? This isn't love. What is it I'm feeling? This isn't love. Please don't leave me and go to her! This isn't love... MPREG! Prequel to The Father's Day Gift. XD Sonadow
1. Who Could Love Someone Like Me?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog. **

She broke up with him _again._ He begged her _again_ not to leave, but she left him on the ground to grovel. How could that damn squirrel not see how much he loved her? That he would do anything for her. _This isn't love. _I watched him as cried for his loss and, with ears lowered and the ultimate look depression, walked back home. Only later on did I learn he had drunk himself unconscious in the nearest bar. _This isn't love._ I watched as he was led into yet another bar the next night by his fan group and only I could see the sadness behind those bright emerald eyes. He would never be over that squirrel until he fell in love with someone who really loved him. _This isn't love._ I mean, who could love a mindless killing machine like me? _This isn't love…_

*Ombra d'amore*

The fast beat of the bass thumped and flashing lights brought the ebony hedgehog out of the flash back he was having. Sweaty and fast moving bodies zoom past him as they danced with their partners. Bright ruby eyes traveled around the dance floor of Club Rouge, recognizing everyone present.

The owner of the club, Rouge the bat, was dancing closely with her newly acquired boyfriend, Knuckles. Well, if you could consider it dancing with the way she was gridding ruthlessly against the poor flustered red echidna.

The three children under twenty one were currently raiding the candy and soda bar. Cream was the same besides the slight giggling attacks she was frequently having. Tails had more sense than his other companions and withheld from having too much to cause a sudden sugar high. Shadow's eyes narrow as he notices the last of the three, Charmy, actually jumping into the candy bowl. Who the _hell_ would even let that bee be anywhere near a piece of candy had a death wish. So far the bee's two guardians hadn't noticed the Armageddon currently happening by the candy table. Espio was currently trying to get away from Amy who was trying to get him on stage to sing karaoke and Vector, as usual, was flirting with Cream's mom, Vanilla. The way the green crocodile was swaying back and forth was a telltale sign of being drunk and wouldn't be much help with the hyper active bee.

Blaze, much like himself, was seated at the bar watching the activity in the club. She held a completely filled cocktail in her grasp and narrowed her amber eyes as well at the activity at the candy bar. At this point Charmy had tipped over the punch bowl and was soaked head to toe in the red colored liquid. The lavender cat got up from her seat and strides over to the three kids.

The ebony hedgehog huffs at the motherly cat and takes a sip of his own alcoholic beverage. The whisky travels down the back of his throat and he shrugs at the burning sensation. The ebony hedgehog might not be able to feel the effects of alcohol but he still enjoyed the taste and feel of whisky running down his throat.

He sets the now empty glass on the bar and his ruby eyes lock onto a magenta and green hedgehogs across the room. The magenta hedgehog, Sonia, was happily chatting with her brother Manic. Both were sitting at a small red booth and it seemed like Sonia was talking about something the green hedgehog wasn't interested in since his head suddenly smacked against the table. The magenta hedgehog pauses for a second on her brother's antics and starts back up again; much to her brother's displeasure. Shadow had only met the two once before and they turned out to be Sonic's younger brother and sister. The ebony hedgehog had made a pact with himself to stay as far away from the magenta hedgehog as he could, since it seemed that she got closer and closer to him when she was in his presence.

Speaking of Sonic's siblings, where was the blue blur himself? Sonic was the only one he hadn't located yet… him and that damn ground squirrel. The black and red hedgehog finally found him, or well, both of them. In a darkened corner they both stood in lip lock and Shadow felt his heart clench at the scene. _It seems that the squirrel decided to come back to him __**again**__, and Sonic, being the idiot he is, went back to her like nothing had happened __**again**_. The clenching feeling in his chest got even tighter as the squirrel started to grind on the cobalt hedgehog in tune with the beat of the music. A bright dazzling smile flashed on his face and was given to the brown squirrel. Shadow clenched his glass tightly, but stopped himself just in time not to crush the glass as a large crack formed. Sonic whispers something into his partner's ear and softly pushes her away. The cobalt hedgehog heads over to the bar where Shadow was sitting and the ebony hedgehog looks away as if he wasn't watching the entire scene between the two.

"Hey Shads! Great party huh?" Sonic's voice shouts over the loud music when he sees the lone black and red hedgehog sitting at the bar. The cobalt hedgehog sits at a seat next to the ebony hedgehog and orders a beer and margarita from the bartender. The bartender nods and leaves to get the two alcoholic drinks. Sonic then turns to the other male and asks, "What are you doing here all alone Shadow?"

Butterflies were fluttering in the older hedgehog's chest after Sonic had called him Shads and, despite being flustered, answered the cobalt's question. "None of your business hedgehog," or maybe not.

Sonic rolls his emerald eyes at the answer he had gotten and wrapped an arm around the other's shoulders in a side hug. "Oh come on Shadow I had to listen all week to Sonia's excitement on meeting you again! With how she's acting she has a major crush on you! Just go talk to her so I don't have to listen to her whining on not having the courage to talk to you! Please do this for me Shads."

The damn fluttering had started up again when Sonic had called him Shads but quickly disappeared when he remembered the cobalt hedgehog was trying to hook him up with his sister. A scowl formed on Shadow's tan muzzle and he roughly pushed the other off of him. "What? So I can end up like you and that squirrel?" Something flashed in the other's emerald eyes and Shadow completely ignored it and kept on going. "She breaks up with you for the stupidest things and you get back together a day later! What was it last time? Oh, yeah! She hated that you always _run_. That you would leave her and just _run_. She's chaining Sonic the Hedgehog down like a good little puppy and she _doesn't care_ that it's eating you up inside and _hurting _you!"

"SHUT UP!" Pure fury blazed in Sonic's emeralds eyes and his whole body shook in anger. Gloved hands clenched up and it looked like a fight would happen right then and there. "YOU KNOW NOTHING OF LOVE!" Shadow was purely shocked, but didn't let it show on his emotionless face; he had never seen the hedgehog angry, let alone yell before. "YOU'RE JUST AN EMOTIONLESS KILLING MACHINE WHO CARES ABOUT NOTHING BUT HIMSELF! YOU LET THE ONLY PERSON WHO CARED ABOUT YOU DIE IN COLD BLOOD! SO DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT LOVE LIKE YOU KNOW IT!" The anger seemed to disappear and a sudden realization crossed across the cobalt hedgehog's face. "Shadow, I didn't mean it! You're right, but… I love her Shadow… I love her… Please, I'm sorry I didn't mean it! I'm just really frustrated right now with Sally and I took my anger out on you! I'm sorry!"

Shadow narrows his eyes and it felt like his heart was breaking into millions of pieces. However, like usual, he didn't let it show on his face. Completely ignoring the frantic words of the cobalt hedgehog, he gets out of his seat and walks to the door. He catches the one more apology from the cobalt male and a shout for him to come back, but he pushes open the entrance to the club and walks out into the cold November air.

The ebony hedgehog walks back to his apartment and the only indication of the deep sadness he was feeling was his slumped shoulders; the same ones that his crush was hugging before he exploded. Shadow didn't mean to explode and say those cruel things, they just… they just slipped out. The black and red male wasn't at all saddened by the words shouted at him in anger; no, it was the ones said after. The ones that Sonic had said when he was apologizing, _I love her Shadow… I love her._ Just thinking those three words Shadow felt pure agony.

Back at his apartment he opened his door and stumbled in. Flopping down on his mattress, he didn't even bother taking off his rocket shoes. He let the usual mask on his face fade away and tears formed in his eyes. He refused to let them come and buried his face into his pillow.

_What I'm feeling… this isn't love. I'm a ruthless killing machine, I don't feel anything. I was created, not born; meaning I can't fall in love. I was never supposed to be put on this planet in the first place I don't have that special someone._ The tears were gone from his eyes and he turned over and stared at his ceiling. The ebony hedgehog's ruby eyes followed the slow moving fan on his ceiling as it spun around on its axis. He closes his eyes and relaxes on his bed.

Shadow was about to drift off to sleep when a sudden banging was heard on his front door. A soft growl escapes his throat and he sits up. _Who the hell is it now?_

"Are you in there Shadow? Please open the door; I need to talk to you." The muffled voice of the one who was causing all of his trouble was at his door. The ebony hedgehog lies back on his bed and tries to ignore the blue hedgehog at his doorstep. "I know you're in there Shadow! Please open the door!" More banging follows and Shadow considered flinging a chaos spear through his walls. However, he decides against it as it would most likely get him kicked out of his apartment.

_He sure is persistent… _The cobalt hedgehog had been pounding at his door for over a half hour now and Shadow wondered why his neighbors hadn't come out and complained about the racket. He then remembered that the other family on his floor was gone for the weekend and he groaned as he realized that the pounding and shouting from the blue blur could go on forever. Sonic might be stubborn, but Shadow could be just as stubborn at times when he wanted to.

The black and red hedgehog turns on his stomach and grabs his other pillow. He smashes the soft object on the top of his head and tries to muffle the banging and shouting. Right now having enhanced hearing was something Shadow did not want as he noticed the pillow wasn't helping in anyway. In anger he throws it to the ground below his bed and puts his face back into the remaining pillow.

The noise from the front door suddenly stops and Shadow pushes his head back up to try to figure out why. He then heard another voice at his door and he growls again. "Why did you leave me at the club Sonic?" Came the pissed off voice of none other than Sally Acorn.

"I'm sorry Sal; I just needed to fix something up with Shadow…"

Shadow manages to catch the huff the girl makes at Sonic's response, "Why do you even care about that emo hedgehog?"

"Don't you dare talk about my friends like that Sally!" Was Sonic the Hedgehog really standing up to that squirrel?

The ebony hedgehog hears her huff again and says, "Well, if you really care about me you'll come back to the party right now with me."

The only thing that Shadow heard after that was the soft thumps of someone leaving. The ebony hedgehog sighs into his pillow as the noise was finally gone and figured that Sonic had left with the squirrel. _Finally, some peace and quiet._ Tears sprang back into his eyes and his heart clenched again as he realized that Sonic had indeed chosen that bitch squirrel over him. _Wait… what? I don't care at all about him not choosing me! I don't love that faker! THIS ISN'T LOVE DAMNIT!_

**Hi everyone! Yes, this is the prequel to The Father's Day Gift! I had so many people ask me to do a story with Sonic and Shadow having their kid and raising them so I decided to finally write it. Sorry about the whole Sonally thing, it'll soon be gone. ^_^**

**So, continue? Yes or no? This will be a multiple chapter story for once… :) **

**Please Read and Review! I need your opinion on this!**


	2. The Treasure Behind the Bookcase

**Before I start I would like to dedicate this chapter to Tails Luv-er since he so kindly betaread it for me. Now on with the story!**

Sunlight streamed through the cracks of the shutters in the ebony hedgehog's room. Birds chirped their greetings and happy chattering of other mobians seeped through the walls of Shadow the Hedgehog's apartment. This, however, did not wake the peacefully sleeping ebony hedgehog. What did awake the hedgehog was the sudden beeping coming from his alarm clock. A muffled growl escapes into his pillow and tired ruby eyes lock onto the offending object on the nightstand. A still gloved hand smashes down on the beeping clock, crushing it into many smaller pieces.

Shadow sits up on his bed and rubs the sleep out of his eyes. He kicks off the warm, black blanket that rested on his body and gets out of bed. Walking into the kitchen he starts his coffee maker and sits down at the table. The events of last night ran through his head unwillingly and he refuses to let last night's tears come again.

He roughly gets out of his seat and knocks the wooden chair to the ground. He quickly walked into his bathroom and slams the door behind him. A loud bang echoes through his apartment, but he completely ignores it. Black feet slip out of rocket shoes, which were placed on a specially made rack on the back of the bathroom door. Four golden rings clatter when they were placed on the sink counter top and gloves are placed in a nearby laundry basket.

Shadow then twists the knobs in his shower and waits for the water to heat up. Hot steam comes from the shower head and the ebony hedgehog deems that the water was finally hot enough. He makes a slight opening in the curtain and steps inside. The curtain closes behind him and hot water washes over the black and red hedgehog. Ruby eyes close at the soothing feeling of the hot liquid and the ebony hedgehog lets it calm his frantic mind. He feels his muscles relax at the soft massage of the running water and grabs his shampoo bottle. Squirting a good amount of the clear gel in his hands, he gets to work washing his body.

The clear shampoo turns to white suds as it travels over his sleek but muscular body. Black and red hands rub the shampoo in circles to get rid of any unwanted dirt and grime attached to his pelt. When the ebony hedgehog was finished he slid back under the shower head and watched as the white foam traveled down the drain. The knob on the shower turns once more but his time to the off position. Still warm water drips off of Shadow as he steps out of the shower and grabs a nearby towel. Steam encased the entire room and Shadow was forced to open his bathroom door to let it out.

Careful not to rip the white towel with his sharp quills, Shadow dries himself off. He carelessly throws the slightly damp towel in the laundry basket with his gloves. The steam had fogged up his mirror and Shadow wipes it away. The ebony hedgehog notices that his quills were sticking out in every direction and gets to work on fixing them.

Once his quills were in their desired shape he grabs his few articles of clothing and exits the bathroom. Walking back to his bedroom the ebony hedgehog's ear twitches at the dinging noise coming from his kitchen. The smell of freshly brewed coffee reaches his sensitive nose and he walks inside his bedroom. His bedroom was dull but clean. His walls were painted a soft red and black wood trimmings lined his room. A twin bed stood in the middle of the small room and a small nightstand was to the left.

After muttering a few choice swear words at his crush alarm clock, he reaches inside the drawer attached to the nightstand. A clean pair of white gloves are pulled out and quickly put on. The four power rings and shoes are slipped on without difficultly as well. Making the trip back to the kitchen a freshly brewed pot of coffee awaits on his granite countertop. Next to the coffee maker stood a coffee mug placed there the night before. On the side of the mug it read 'Drink Coffee, Do Stupid Things Faster'. He pours the steaming bitter liquid into the mug and takes a sip. Shadow is satisfied with the taste and strides over to his front entrance.

_I wonder if the newspaper arrived yet._ He pulls the door towards him and something, or should I say someone, fell to his feet. Triumphant emerald eyes meet confused ruby and none other than Sonic the Hedgehog jumps to his feet.

Pointing at the ebony hedgehog in the entrance he shouts in joy. "Hah! I knew it!"

"What?" The damn butterflies had started up in his stomach again and Shadow couldn't utter out another word. To Shadow this situation was worse than being captured by Eggman.

Sonic crossed his peach arms across his chest; a large grin was plastered on his face. "I knew it; if banging on your door didn't work I would just have to wait… quietly." The grin got even larger, "and lo and behold you came out of your cave when you thought I was long gone huh?"

Unreasonable anger forms in the ebony hedgehog, "Don't act so high and mighty faker! I heard that squirrel come here!"

The cobalt hedgehog just shrugs, "Yeah, she did come. One thing you forgot mention though was hearing me _leaving_ with her."

Shadow huffs and composes himself in a way that looked like he wasn't fazed at all at the blue blur's sudden appearance. However, in reality, his mind was in complete turmoil; if you could look inside his mind at that moment it would look close to a television with static on the screen. "She's your _girlfriend_ of course you left with her."

"I don't think we are anymore considering I didn't do what she said last night." Emerald eyes look away and he got a distant look in their green hue. Peach arms come uncrossed and come to rest on his hips. When the cobalt hedgehog spoke next it seemed like he was talking more to himself than the artificial hedgehog in the doorway. "I'm going to try out an old saying; 'if you truly love something, let it go and if it comes back it is truly yours'. If Sal comes back to me then I really know she loves me back." The emerald eyes turn back to the ebony hedgehog and strange twinkle forms there.

Shadow notices the look he was being given and ignored like it was nothing to concern him. He takes a sip of his now cold black coffee and looks to the ground for his newspaper. "Is there something you want hedgehog?"

The distant look disappears and a sheepish one forms instead. "Ahhh, yeah… I really didn't have a plan after this…" One of his arms unconsciously reaches up and scratches the back of his head in embarrassment.

The ebony hedgehog represses the urge to face palm and instead glares at the short sighted hedgehog. "What were you doing all night? Thinking of multiple ways that make my life even more like hell?"

The scratching hand stops and a harden look enters Sonic's eyes and… could that be… hurt? No… no way, I'm just imagining it. "You know, just for that you have to spend the rest of the day with me."

Shadow blinks… and blinks again. _What?_ The ebony hedgehog's heart starts beating rapidly and it feels like he was having a heart attack. However, he focuses on stopping the sudden heat rising in his cheeks. Composing himself once more he says, "Who would want to spend the day with you?"

The cobalt hedgehog grins, but it seems fake compared to the sudden hurt that flashes in his eyes again. "Who wouldn't want to spend the day with the fastest thing alive?"

"Only in my dreams faker," Shadow mutters out.

"What was that?" Sonic leans in and suddenly their faces are inches apart.

Shadow's quills stand on end by the sudden close proximity of the cobalt hedgehog and he tries to slam the door shut on the other. Sonic had expected this reaction and had already wedged his red and white sneaker in between the doorway. The ebony hedgehog was surprised at the sudden resistance and had lost his grip on the door momentarily. This was all Sonic needed to push open the door for himself and to walk in.

"Now," the cobalt hedgehog crosses his arms once more, "what was that?"

Shadow's eyes narrow and he clenches his hand around his coffee mug. "I said, only in your dreams faker. Now get out of my damn apartment." The ebony hedgehog's voice was an inside one but it was laced purely with anger.

"Take a chill pill Shads," the cobalt hedgehog was looking everywhere but at the ebony hedgehog. "I always wanted to know what the so called ultimate life form's apartment looked like." After his little investigation of Shadow's apartment he turns back to the other hedgehog. "It's so clean… and dull. You know, since I like you so much Shads I'll come back tomorrow and help you spruce up the place."

Shadow couldn't stop his heart from beating like mad again and takes a sip of his black coffee to try to hide the small blush that had formed there. "I like it the way it is…"

Sonic's ears twitch as he tried to catch the quiet speaking of the other. "Alright, fine. So what do you want to do today?" The cobalt hedgehog asks as he walks into the other hedgehog's kitchen.

The ebony hedgehog sighs in defeat. "You won't let this go will you?"

Sonic's famous grin returns and he goes to sit at the kitchen table. He was a little confused by the fallen chair but he picks it up anyway and sits on it. "Not a chance."

Shadow sighs again and leans on his granite countertop. He notices that his coffee was almost gone and pours himself another cup. "I don't know; it was your idea, you think of something."

"Then let's start off by going to my place. I need to get cleaned up after camping at your door all night." He rubs his back like it pained him, "My back is so sore I swear I need a chiropractor after this."

"Fine, whatever."

For whatever reason the cobalt hedgehog suddenly looked interested in Shadow's coffeemaker," Is that coffee?"

The ebony hedgehog raises an eye ridge, "Yes, why?"

"I always wanted to try coffee but Tails never let me near the stuff."

"Smart kid," Shadow almost shuddered at the thought of a caffeine high Sonic.

"Come on Shads, just one little cup," the cobalt hedgehog begged while giving Shadow his puppy dog eyes.

Seeing the cute face that he was being given Shadow's heart fluttered and the butterflies had returned to his stomach. He quickly looked away and picked up his coffee pot. It looked like the blue blur was finally going to get his first cup of coffee. He was quickly disappointed when the ebony hedgehog poured the rest down his drain. "You're not getting any hedgehog."

"Awww, come on Shadow there was more than enough!" Sonic complained, "Wow… that was such a waste…" Disappointment was heard clearly in his voice.

"I would rather waste it than have a caffeine high hedgehog on my hands," the ebony hedgehog huffs. Shadow finishes up his cup of coffee and the two of them are left in silence.

"You finished?" Shadow nods and Sonic gets out of his seat, "Then let's get going then." The ebony hedgehog places his mug in the sink and is then dragged out of his apartment by an excited Sonic.

*Ombra d'amore*

Sonic's house was located at the edge of the city and was quite large for one hedgehog to live in. The backyard housed a small forest and many houses lined the street he lived on. The cobalt hedgehog opened his front door and Shadow noticed that it wasn't locked. Walking inside you entered a large living room. It housed a large television hung from the right wall and many different gaming systems were below it. A green couch was in front of the television and it looked like it was used regularly.

Shadow wasn't at all impressed with the state of the cobalt hedgehog's house; while his was perfectly clean Sonic's defiantly screamed as a man's house. Random socks and gloves littered the floor and day old soda cans and water bottles were stacked on the side tables.

"When was the last time you cleaned this place?" Shadow asked while he repressed the urge to clean the mess the other hedgehog had created. Maria had always been big on cleaning on the ARK and Shadow had unconsciously picked up the trait as well.

"Define clean," and the ebony hedgehog rolls his eyes at the answer the cobalt had given him. Sonic chuckles and points upstairs, "I'm going to take a shower now so be a good little hedgehog while I'm gone okay?"

"I'm fifty years older than you hedgehog so don't treat me like a child."

The cobalt hedgehog chuckles again, "I guess I forgot about that grandpa." Then he takes off in a blue blur up his stairs.

Shadow growls but it was only halfheartedly as his mind was focused on another thought. _I'm in love with someone who is fifty years younger than me… Man I am such a pedophile… Wait? Did I say love? I'm not… You know what? I give up, I'm in love with that faker whether I like it or not… and I don't… I could have fallen in love with __**anyone**__ but it had to be __**him**__! _

The shower starts upstairs and it pulls the artificial hedgehog out of his thoughts. An unwelcomed image than forms in his mind and Shadow shakes his head to get rid the image of Sonic washing himself in the shower. The ebony hedgehog had to find something to do to keep his mind off of the image or else the other hedgehog would come down later to find Shadow in a very… awkward situation.

_I'll take a look around the rest of his house._ Relieved that he thought of something to do, Shadow started to wander around the large house. Most of the rooms didn't interest the ebony hedgehog in any way; there was a large kitchen next to the living room. Down a hallway past the kitchen was a guest room, another bathroom and a laundry room.

The very last room at the end of the hallway was what finally caught the interest of the exploring hedgehog. Shadow opened the door and was impressed to find a comfy sunroom. Sun chairs and bean bags lined the walls and one large book case stood at the back. He walked over to the bookcase and rolled his eyes as he saw they were all comic books. He was just about to leave when something caught his eye. Carefully hidden behind some of the comic books was what looked like a diary. Shadow pried the diary out and was surprised to find it was actually a sketchbook.

He flipped open to the first page and saw it was an amateur picture of Tails. On the bottom of the page was a date, probably the day that it was drawn. The black and red hedgehog shrugs and flips to the next page; this time it was a picture of Sonic and Tails. _I never knew that Sonic liked to draw._ The next page was a picture of Knuckles, then another one of Tails and then Amy made an appearance with Tails. With each picture came a newer date and it seemed that Sonic's drawing skills had gotten better as time went on.

The first time that Shadow appeared in the sketchbook he was quite taken back. He looked deadly and it seemed like the Shadow drawing would leap out and kill you on the spot. The date at the bottom of the page was the one he and Sonic had first met and below the date was the roughly written word faker. _Is… is this how I really looked back then?_ The ebony hedgehog shakes his head back and forth and quickly turns the page.

The next drawing was of himself as well, but this time the deadly look had disappeared. Instead of being deadly he just looked completely serious and the drawing was smudged in several places. _What are these smudges? _Sudden realization appeared on Shadow's face as he saw what date it was drawn; it was the day after Sonic and himself had beaten the Biolizard. _These are tear marks… Did he really cry for me when he thought I was dead?_

The ebony hedgehog's heart clenched when he imaged a crying Sonic drawing him in his sketchbook. He pushed the image away and went back to looking at the drawings. Shadow didn't appear again for quite a while but when he did you could tell that Sonic was ecstatic. In all the other drawings only one or two people were in it. However, the next drawing with Shadow he filled the entire page; picture after picture of him crowded the single piece of paper. Even the date didn't have a space to be written and was place on the back instead. After reading the date Shadow smiled slightly as he saw it was the one when Sonic and his friends found out he really wasn't dead.

Still smiling slightly he flipped through more of the sketchbook. Soon the ebony hedgehog had started to notice something about the book; the farther he got the more pictures of himself showed up. There were still the occasional picture of someone else but he filled up the majority of them. _Why is he suddenly drawing so much of me?_ Then something hit the artificial hedgehog, not one of the drawings in here was of Sally Acorn. Shadow was confused, why hadn't Sonic drawn a single picture of the girl he loved? Everyone was in here, Manic, Sonia, Rouge and even Eggman made an appearance once, but no Sally Acorn. _What is going on here? There are more pictures of myself in here than anyone else and his girlfriend wasn't drawn even once… He must have another sketchbook somewhere with drawings of just his girlfriend in it…_

Saddened by the thought Shadow neglected to notice the changes of the drawings of himself. The pictures had changed; Sonic had suddenly appeared in them and was getting closer and closer to the ebony hedgehog with each new one drawn.

The last one that Shadow saw was of the both of them sitting together on a park bench and he was about to turn the page when a frightened yelp sounded behind him. "Where did you get that?"Shadow turns and finds a very frightened, very pale Sonic. A damp towel was around his waist and water still dripped off his cobalt quills. "Where did you get that?" With the frightened look he was being given from Sonic at finding his personal sketchbook Shadow just wanted to curl up and die right then and there.

**This is, by far, the most reviewed story I have ever had so far. I'm so happy! I only wrote one chapter and I got 12 reviews! XD Thank you all!**

**Shadow:**** I'll even give each of you a cookie.**

**Really?**

**Shadow:**** No, I'll give Sonic the cookies and he can give them away. I don't want to ruin my reputation. **

**Sonic:**** Then I guess they'll like me instead of you Shads.**

**Shadow:**** They wouldn't even be given cookies if it wasn't for me.**

**He does have a point Sonic.**

**Sonic:**** -_-**

**Please Read and Review everyone!**


	3. A Day Out

The semi-damp towel flew off the cobalt hedgehog as he leapt at Shadow and grabbed the sketch book out of his hands. He visibly relaxed as emerald eyes saw that the other hadn't gotten to a certain part in the book. "Where did you get this?"

Shadow was slightly surprised at the cobalt's sudden attack and allowed him to snatch the sketch book out of his hands. The ebony hedgehog crossed his arms across his chest and watched the other male closely. "I found it in the bookcase. You know, the place where you store books." Shadow's voice dripped in sarcasm.

Sonic's face turned red, and he hugged the sketch book to his body, as if to protect it from the ebony hedgehog. "I know that! I was wondering why you would look in it in the first place!"

Ruby eyes rolled." It was a sketch book hidden behind hundreds of comic books. How could I not be interested?"

The cobalt hedgehog huffed and pushed past Shadow to get to his bookcase. The ebony hedgehog's breath hitched as Sonic's arm brushed his and he moved away before the cobalt hedgehog noticed the sudden change in his breathing patterns. Sonic placed the sketch book back in its hiding place and turned back to other male hedgehog. "Shadow could you please keep this a secret from the others?"

"Why? They are quite good." _Damn… Did I really just say that?_

Sonic looked surprised by the other's complement and he should have been, Shadow _never_ complemented people. "Wow… Thanks Shadow… Um…"

"Yes, I'll keep it a secret," Shadow quickly said to cover up his earlier statement.

The cobalt hedgehog perked up. "Great! Are you ready to go?"

"Yes-"Shadow had barely gotten the simple word out before the hyper blue hedgehog pulled him out of the room and then the house. Again, the ebony hedgehog noticed that Sonic didn't lock his door before he left but shrugged. They were halfway through Station Square before Shadow noticed that his and Sonic's hands were still linked together. The ebony hedgehog face became red and he looked down so he wouldn't return the gazes of the city's residents.

The two hedgehogs made it to the edge of the city, and Sonic let go of his grip on the other hedgehog. "Alright, Shadow, just follow me." His signature grin appeared on his face. "Catch me if you can, faker!" He took off in a gust of wind and into the awaiting forest ahead with Shadow following closely behind him.

The cobalt hedgehog kept his speed just under the speed of sound so his companion could follow him. Shadow allowed the other a couple feet ahead of him and kept his eyes glued on the other hedgehog so if, Sonic would suddenly turn, he would see it. No matter how hard the ebony hedgehog tried, his ruby eyes always found the other's backside. Soon, Shadow just gave up and roamed over the cobalt's sleek body.

Sonic was like a work of art while he ran; muscles contracting and retracting with every step and movement. Soft blue quills flowed with the wind and, if Shadow could see them, Sonic's emerald eyes would probably be twinkling with life. The ebony hedgehog felt a twinge of jealousy at something that would make the cobalt so happy but quickly pushed it away. Running was Sonic's _life_; he couldn't take that away, no matter how much he wanted to be that joy. Without running Sonic, would just be an empty shell of his former self; one without any emotion. Shadow would rather kill himself than let the cobalt be like that and felt uncontrollable rage enter his body. The damn squirrel, Sally, was the cause of his sudden rage. The damn squirrel was trying to do just that, take away the one thing that Sonic was named for. It would kill him and she wouldn't care since it satisfied _her_ needs.

"We're here, Shads!" Sonic's voice pulled Shadow out of his ranting, and he skidded to a stop next to the other hedgehog. The ebony hedgehog gasped at what he saw, "You like it? I come here all the time to think."

Shadow took a couple steps forward and tried to capture everything forever in his mind. Without his knowledge, the trees had turned into sakura blossoms and were in full bloom. The light pink petals danced in the wind and flew over the large field of pure white daisies. The sun shone brightly overhead, and the sky was the same coloring of his crush, and just for that second, a content smile slipped on his face.

Sonic walked up next to the mesmerized hedgehog." So, what do you think?"

"It's… beautiful," Shadow said like he was out of breath.

"It sure is," but Sonic wasn't looking at the clearing. "Come on," the cobalt hedgehog grabbed one of Shadow's black and red arms, "let's go sit." Both the hedgehogs walked over to one of the many sakura blossoms and sat under the flowering buds.

Shadow yawned and leaned against the trunk. He didn't get much sleep last night from the party and Sonic's banging, and he felt himself drifting off. The warm spring air, soft breeze, sweet smell of daisies and sakura blossoms and lack of sleep finally pushed the ebony hedgehog off the edge, and he drifted off to asleep.

*Ombra d'amore*

"Sha… Shad…. Shadow… Shadow, wake up." The ebony hedgehog was nudged awake and he yawned before cuddling into his warm pillow. Some chuckling, "I never knew you were so cuddly, Shads."

The black and red hedgehog snapped his eyes open and saw blue and peach in his view. He looked up and saw the smiling face of none other than Sonic the Hedgehog. His so-called 'warm pillow' was the blue hero himself. Shadow jumped back from the cobalt hedgehog; his face was completely tomato red.

"Did you enjoy your nap, Shads?" Sonic said as if the ebony hedgehog hadn't used him as a pillow.

Shadow turned away and showed his back to the cobalt hedgehog. "Ahhh, yeah…"

Sonic moved over to his companion and leaned his back against the other's, "You must have been very tired, you slept the entire day away." Shadow looked up, and sure enough, the bright blue sky had darkened. The sky had turned red, pink, and purple from the setting sun, and the warm feeling from before had disappeared, and a slight chill had replaced it. "Come on." The cobalt hedgehog got up. "There's one more place I want to go to before the day is over."

The ebony hedgehog got up from the patted down grass they were sitting on and shook off the pink petals that had landed on him while he was sleeping. Sonic was waiting for him at the edge of the forest; his foot tapped slightly as he waited for his companion. Shadow jogged over and told Sonic that he was ready to go.

"Wait a sec," the cobalt hedgehog said and one of his gloved hands reached over and grabbed at Shadow's chest fur. The ebony hedgehog sucked in his breath and squeezed his eyes shut as he waited for the hand to make its way over to him. Only, it never did. Shadow cracked open one of his eyes and saw Sonic was holding something in his hand. "You missed one, Shads," and the cobalt hedgehog opened his hand and let the lone sakura blossom petal fly away in the wind.

Shadow huffed at his stupidity and crossed his arms across his chest, "Are we ready to go now?"

Sonic chuckled, "Looks like I'm not the only impatient hedgehog here."

"Shut up and let's go already." The cobalt hedgehog chuckled again and raced into the forest. Shadow took one last look at the beautiful field and followed after. The ebony hedgehog glided up beside Sonic. "How about a race back to the city?"

The blue hero's famous grin flashed on his face and his eyes started to sparkle in delight. "You bet! You know I'm always up for a race!"

They locked eyes, grinned and broke the sound barrier. Two loud sonic booms shook the area, and a blue and yellow blur raced through the forest. Shadow scorched the ground with every glide and Sonic sounded like thousands of drums pounding at once.

The ebony hedgehog was in pure bliss; no sounds but the swishing of his shoes and beating of Sonic's came through the barrier. Various shades of green and brown flew past him in a display of amazing colors. Shadow looked to his side to see where his racing partner was and was surprised to find the cobalt hedgehog neither beside him nor in front of him. The ebony hedgehog carelessly looked behind him for a second and saw his partner about a foot behind him. Shadow looked back to his front so he wouldn't run into anything and was confused on why the other was behind him. Neither one of them were even close to their max speeds, and Sonic would never let him go in front of him, so… why was the blue hero behind him?

Shadow started to wonder on why this might have been and tried to figure something out to get the other to _actually_ race him. An idea struck the ebony hedgehog, and he sped up a notch. He felt Sonic speed up as well and was disappointed when the other was _still_ a foot behind him. So he decided to do something else and slowed down so he was next to the other hedgehog. "Why aren't you racing me?" Shadow didn't have to yell since they were still in the sound barrier.

"Huh?" Sonic seemed to get out of a trance at the sound of the artificial hedgehog's voice. "Oh, hey Shads."

Shadow closely studies the other hedgehog. "You aren't even trying to beat me faker."

The cobalt hedgehog huffed and turned red. "I am so! I was just… just conserving my energy! Yeah, that!"

"Really?" You could clearly hear the sarcasm in Shadow's voice.

"Yes! What else would I be doing?" There was a twinge of fear in the blue hero's voice, but Shadow passed it off as nothing.

"Whatever you say, faker," and the ebony hedgehog took off. Sonic came up from beside him and edged ahead a couple inches. _Is he finally ready to race?_ Shadow picked up speed, and the cobalt hedgehog and himself were finally at full speed. Both of them panted from the exertion and the beginning of Station Square was coming up fast, the unmentioned finish line.

They both entered the city at the same time and skidded to a stop. However, Shadow had been smart to stop over the paved road while Sonic hadn't paid attention to where he was going and tried to stop on the sidewalk. Just like every sidewalk, it was curved upward, so when he tried to stop, the cobalt hedgehog fell off the upward pavement and had fallen flat on his face. The ebony hedgehog had seen the whole thing as if in slow motion; he tried to hold it in, he really did, but it came anyway. A large round of laughter escaped the artificial hedgehog, and the blue hero got off the ground as if in a trance. "Shadow… are you… laughing?"

The ebony hedgehog immediately stopped his laughing attack and quickly covered his mouth with his hands as he felt his face go red. "No…"

Sonic walked over to the other hedgehog and patted him on the shoulder. "You should laugh more, Shads… It really suits you."

Shadow flicked the hand away from him and turned away. "Well, that's the last time you'll ever hear it." _When was the last time I laughed? I think it was with Maria fifty years ago…_

The cobalt hedgehog sighed and gave up. "At least I had the privilege of making you laugh and hearing it. Come on, we still have a ways to go before we get to my last destination."

As he followed the blue hero, Shadow moved his eyes everywhere but at the cobalt hedgehog. He felt eyes on him and knew that Sonic was throwing side glances at him. When they arrived at their destination, the ebony hedgehog couldn't help but feel disappointed. "A bar, faker?"

"Yeah, I've gone drinking here with everybody but you so far," Sonic said as he ascended the steps into an actually nice-looking bar. The cobalt hedgehog opened the door and motioned for Shadow to walk in, "Ladies first."

The ebony hedgehog walked up the steps and grabbed the door before pushing the other hedgehog inside. "Looks like you're the only lady here faker."

Sonic's face turned red at Shadow's comment, and strode over to the bar counter, "One old brandy, sour, please." Shadow grabbed a seat next to the blue hero at the counter and ordered a whisky. When both of their drinks arrived, Sonic spoke up, "How can you stand that stuff?"

"I like the way it burns the back of your throat. That's the only reason I drink alcohol since I can't get drunk off the stuff." Shadow took a sip to prove his point, and the cobalt watched as if mesmerized.

"You can't get drunk? That must suck if you ever want to take the edge off of things."

"Unlike you I don't need to drink my troubles away." _Shit! Did I seriously just say that? Why can't I keep my mouth shut around him?_ However, Sonic's next comment totally astounded him.

"You're right, I'm weak that way. I drink all my problems away since I can't handle them on my own. But I'm trying to stop that now since I figured out that the problems might be gone for a couple hours but they'll always be there when the high goes away." Sonic's blue ears drooped a bit, and he folded his peach arms on the counter and rested his head on them.

*Ombra d'amore*

Hours later, the two hedgehogs were still at the bar. Shadow had so far had only two drinks while Sonic was ordering his fifth. "Can I have a Bud Light Lime this time~?" The drink was handed to him, and the cobalt hedgehog took a large swig.

Shadow set his finished whisky on the counter. "Sonic, I think you've had enough."

The blue hero set his drink down too. "Come on, Shads, that was only my third~" Sonic slurred as he held up four fingers. The ebony hedgehog bent over and folded one of the fingers down. "Oh! I don't know how that little guy got there~" The blue hero started to hysterically laugh as if it was extremely funny and fell out of his chair. "How did I get down here~?" He unsteadily got up and rubbed his sore backside. "The ground hurts, Shads~."

"Yes it does, Sonic," Shadow humored the drunken hedgehog. "And I feel so honored that you would bring me here instead of your girlfriend."

"Really~?" Sonic obviously didn't catch the sarcasm leaking out of the ebony hedgehog. He sat back down in his seat. "Can I tell you something I never told anyone before~?"

Shadow shivered slightly as the blue hero's alcohol-riddled breath whispered in his ear. "Y- yeah." The ebony hedgehog couldn't help the stutter that came out of his mouth.

Sonic leaned back in his seat. "I don't love Sally."

The ebony hedgehog's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?"

The blue speedster sighed, and took another large swig of beer. "It's an arranged relationship made by my mother. Sally is a princess from the Acorn Kingdom, and since I'm the first son of Queen Aleena, I have to take over the throne with the _right_ girl."

"But the confession you gave me at Club Rouge last night sounded real," Shadow pointed out.

Even while drunk, Sonic seemed to think over his next words, "I do love someone… It's just someone who will never love me back." The slurring seemed to have disappeared with his last two statements.

"You're Sonic the Hedgehog. Who wouldn't go out with you?"

Sonic gave him a sad smile. "Not everyone likes me, Shads, but I'm fine with being forever alone. I was planning on telling my mom tomorrow that I don't want the throne and that I want to break up with Sally."

"So that's why the squirrel wasn't in your sketch book…" Shadow muttered under his breath.

"What~?" The slurring had come back in full force and Sonic leaned in to hear what the ebony hedgehog had said.

"I said you can do it Sonic. I believe in you."

The cobalt hedgehog's eyes shone like emerald pools, and a large smile over took his face. "Thanks Shadow. That means a lot to me." Sonic got up from his seat and downed the rest of his drink. "Let's go back to my house~."

"Why should I go back to your place?"

Sonic gave the ebony hedgehog his puppy dog eyes. "Please, Shadow~?" The ebony hedgehog blushed at the blue hero's puppy dog face and nodded his head since he didn't trust his voice at the moment. "Great~! Let's get going~!" Sonic pulled the other out of his seat but tripped over his own legs. Since the two hedgehogs were linked together at the time, Shadow went with the blue hero.

They landed on the ground, and Shadow felt something warm land on top of him. The ebony hedgehog opened his ruby eyes and locked on to Sonic's own emerald ones. Shadow's face turned red, and his heart started to beat rapidly in his chest. His breathing got irregular and the cobalt hedgehog's own hot breath hit him on the face. "Sonic… can you… can you get off me?"

"Hmm? Alright~," the cobalt hedgehog got off him, and Shadow tried to get himself in check. They both got off the ground, and made their way to the door. Sonic opened the door, and Shadow walked through it without a second thought.

*Ombra d'amore*

Both hedgehogs made it back at around midnight, and Shadow had to half carry the drunken hedgehog to his house. The ebony hedgehog was glad that Sonic never locked his door and pushed the other inside.

"Shadow~."

"What?"

"I want to show you something~. Come on~." Sonic drunkenly walked up his stairs, and Shadow, after rolling his eyes, followed after the other.

"Why am I in here again?" They were in Sonic's bedroom; it was painted a light blue and had pure white carpeting. The bed was stationed in the middle of the room and had a dark blue comforter. Shadow heard a click behind him and saw that Sonic had closed the door. "What are you doing?" The ebony hedgehog saw the blue hero smile, and then he was suddenly tackled. They landed on the bed, and Sonic pinned the ebony hedgehog's arms above his head. "Sonic! What are you doing?"

The blue hero nuzzled into Shadow's neck. "Let's have some fun, Shads~."

"What? Sonic you're not in your right mind! Now let me go and get off me!" The artificial hedgehog struggled in Sonic's tight grip. He stopped and gasped when the cobalt hedgehog kissed him right on the lips. He felt something wet against his lips, and Sonic's tongue entered his mouth. Shadow turned red, and let the other explore the inside of his mouth.

Sonic pulled back. "What's so wrong with having some fun?"

The ebony hedgehog looked away. "I just don't think it's a good idea…"

"Just give up Shadow." One of Sonic's hands kept Shadow's arms pinned while the other traveled downward. The black and red hedgehog's breath hitched as the blue hero grabbed his manhood. Shadow moaned as the cobalt hedgehog started to pump it up and down. Sonic let go of his arms, and Shadow dug his hands into the other's blue quills. The cobalt hedgehog, meanwhile, coated his fingers with his spit and inserted one of them into Shadow's ass.

The ebony hedgehog shivered at the feel, and pushed down on the wiggling finger. Sonic chuckled and inserted another finger and scissored inside. Shadow hissed in pain and moments later pushed down again. Sonic pushed in his last finger, stretched it a bit more and pulled out. The ebony hedgehog whimpered slightly and released into the cobalt hedgehog's peach hand. The blue hero lifted up the other hedgehog and slammed inside. Shadow screamed in pure pleasure and pain as Sonic hit him directly on his sweet spot.

"Shadow, you're so tight~." The ebony hedgehog squeezed him so hard he could barely move.

"Oh, god! Sonic, go harder!" Shadow moaned and the blue hero grunted with effort. The ebony hedgehog dug into Sonic's scalp, and Sonic felt that he was getting close. He went even faster and Shadow moaned out his happiness.

Minutes later, the ebony hedgehog released onto Sonic's chest, and the blue hero couldn't take it anymore and released as well. Shadow moaned one last time as Sonic's warm semen entered his body and felt the other collapse on top of him.

When he was finished, Sonic pulled out and grabbed some tissues that were on the nightstand next to the bed. He used them to clean their bodies and threw them into the trash bin. He kicked off the semen covered comforter and covered both of them under the other blanket underneath. "Night, Shadow~."

"Good night, Sonic," and they cuddled into each other's arms and drifted off to sleep.

*Ombra d'amore*

The next morning, Shadow was the first to wake up. He opened his eyes and saw that he was still in Sonic's tight grip. He carefully maneuvered out of it and slid off the bed. Shadow grabbed the dark blue comforter and walked out of the room. The ebony hedgehog remembered where the laundry room was after his little exploration yesterday and walked inside. He threw the comforter inside and started the rinse cycle.

Shadow's stomach rumbled as it told him that it was hungry, and he shrugged. He could make some breakfast for the both of them. Shadow strode into the kitchen and looked inside the cobalt hedgehog's fridge. He rolled his eyes as he saw that there was practically nothing inside and grabbed the eggs, cheese and milk. _I'll just make some omelets._ He mixed the necessary ingredients and heated up the stove. Shadow poured the mix into the steaming pan and waited for the omelet to bubble before throwing in the cheese.

"That smells nice." Shadow turned momentarily away from the pan and saw that the other hedgehog had woken up. Sonic took a seat at the kitchen table and watched as Shadow made the omelet. "I know this is a stupid question but… what happened last night?"

Shadow's heart clenched, and he turned off the stove. He placed the hot omelet onto the waiting plate in front of the cobalt hedgehog and put the pan in the sink. "Nothing… Nothing happened last night."

"Then why are you here?" Sonic asked with a mouth full of fried egg and cheese.

"You were so drunk that you passed out at the bar and I carried you home. You woke up for a second and said I could sleep on the couch."

"Okay," Shadow walked out of the kitchen and to the front door. The ebony hedgehog felt dead inside; the other hedgehog didn't remember what happened last night. "Hey, where are you going Shads?"

"Home," and Shadow left the home of Sonic the Hedgehog in tears.

**Ha! I am so mean. I built up the romance and kicked you off the cliff! XD**

**Shadow:**** God damn it! I hate you!**

**Sonic:**** I have to agree with Shadow here. You're an awful person.**

**Hehe. ^_^**

**Read and Review please! I love your reviews! It keeps me writing!**


	4. Heartbroken and Clueless Hedgehogs

Shadow walked down the deserted morning streets of Station Square. The tears had long ago been driven away. The ebony hedgehog kept his ruby eyes locked on the sidewalk in front of him. He dared not look up in fear that his eyes were red and puffy from tears. _How could… how could he have forgotten? Was it just a joke for him? Was he just playing with me the entire time? Did he spend the day with me and wait outside my door just to… just to get __**that**__?_ Millions of thoughts raced through the ebony hedgehog's head.

He risked taking a look and saw that his feet were taking him in the opposite direction of his home. Instead, he was heading for Club Rouge; the place where maybe his only friend lived. She had an apartment above the club and sometimes, after bartending the club for her, he would stay overnight in. However, Shadow wasn't ready to confront her about this; at least, not yet. Despite what he had told Sonic, home was the last place that Shadow wanted to go back to. The ebony hedgehog reached inside his head quills and took out the dark blue chaos emerald. The emerald softly glowed in his hand, as if giving him a greeting. However, all he saw in the emerald was the color of the soft pelt he had nuzzled into the night before. Shadow tightly gripped the gem in his hand. "Chaos Control." The ebony hedgehog whispered out and disappeared in a flash of white light.

Another flash of white light and Shadow reappeared in a darkened metal room. He put the blue emerald back into his head quills and walked to the window that dominated the room. The view was amazing; dark, black matter of space was to the right, while an amazing view of the big blue planet, Earth, was to the left. The moon glowed white, and hovered over the beautiful planet. Shadow placed a hand on the thick glass that was between him, and the vacuum of space, and sighed. He took his hand away, and scuffled over to the left wall of the room. The ebony hedgehog sat down, and leaned against the cool metal. He turned his head, and relaxed at the view. He let his mind go blank, and closed his eyes. Shadow's breathing slowed, and soon the ebony hedgehog drifted off to sleep.

*Ombra d'amore*

The cobalt hedgehog heard his front door slam shut as the other male hedgehog left. He finished up his omelet, and, although Sonic would never admit it, Shadow was a great cook. The cobalt hedgehog placed his used plate in his dishwasher, and went into his medicine cabinet. He grabbed out some Advil, and downed two tablets dry. His head was _killing_ him, and he wondered just how much he had drank the night before with Shadow. Fear, and dread suddenly filled his chest. _I hope I didn't say anything I would regret._ Sonic placed the Advil back in the wooden cabinet. He was just about to head to his shower, when a beeping came from his laundry room.

_Why is there a beeping sound coming from my laundry room? I don't remember putting any laundry in…_ Sonic sweat dropped. _Well, __**that**__ was a stupid thought considering I'm drawing a complete blank about last night._ Again, dread filled his chest on whether he had said anything to the ebony hedgehog.

Sonic sighed, and headed for his laundry room down the hall. He opened the door, and pulled out his dark blue comforter. _Why is this in here?_ The cobalt hedgehog shrugged, and dumped the bedding into his drier. He started the dry cycle, and exited the room. The cobalt hedgehog headed for his room, and walked inside. His bathroom that contained his shower was to the right. He entered his bathroom, and pulled off his few articles of clothing. Sonic carelessly left them on the ground, and climbed inside his shower. He turned the knob, and shivered as the cool water hit his pelt before it started to heat up.

The cobalt hedgehog sighed in content as the desired hot water finally hits his pelt. Sonic reached for his shampoo, and squirted out a good amount of the blue goop. He rubbed circles into his pelt, and rinsed off under the hot water when he was finished. Sonic watched the white suds swirl down the drain. His hangover still pounded in his head, and he desperately tried to remember _anything_ as to what happened.

The cobalt hedgehog was really bothered with not being to remember anything. He never had more than two or three drinks, since by then he was tipsy. However, when he was with Shadow yesterday he felt like he could finally be himself. He didn't have to be the hero or always have a happy face on. He was himself with Shadow; that had always been the case. The ebony hedgehog couldn't care less whether he was liked by other people; he wouldn't try to be someone he wasn't to impress others, and, most of all, he didn't care _who_ Sonic was. Shadow didn't care about labels; he only cared about the opinion that he himself had given someone.

This was what Sonic loved about the other male the most. Yes, love. The cobalt hedgehog was hopelessly in love with Shadow the Hedgehog. It wasn't love at first sight; actually he had almost hated the other to the core when they first met. It took weeks, maybe even months for Sonic to figure out that the hate he felt was really admiration. Then that admiration turned into something more the longer that Sonic knew the ebony hedgehog. The cobalt hedgehog didn't know when or how something like this had happened; it just… did.

Sonic sighed heavily, and turned the knob of his shower. The nozzle dripped its last few drops of water, and stopped. The cobalt hedgehog stepped out, and snatched the white towel hanging from a nearby hook. He quickly dried himself off, and wrapped it around his waist. Sonic didn't know why he did this since he never wore clothes, but he always suspected it was from his short time with a human named Chris.

The hung-over cobalt hedgehog exited his steam filled bathroom, and flopped down on his mattress. He looked at his clock located on his side table, and groaned when he saw that he had only an hour to get rid of his hangover before he was to meet with his mother. Water dripped from his quills, and Sonic reached over for a tissue to wipe it off. He was surprised to find that there was none inside its cardboard box. The blue hero grabbed the box, and looked around to where they could have gone. He could have sworn that it was still half way full. Sonic looked down to find that his trash bin was filled with the missing tissues. He set the box back in its place, and instead picked up his trash bin. He examined it with curiosity when he saw that they had all been used; all almost seemingly at once.

_Why had all of these been used?_ A moment of silence before Sonic shrugged, and placed the trash bin back on the ground next to his bed. He, instead, unwounded his towel, and whipped away the still dripping water. Sonic left the damp towel on his bed, and got up. He goes back into his bathroom, and snatched his few clothing. He carelessly threw his dirtied gloves, and socks into his laundry hamper, and then went over to his drawers located across from his bed. He grabbed out a cleaned pair of desired gloves, and socks, and slipped them on. The cobalt hedgehog then put his shoes on, and was finally ready to head out to face his mother.

Slight fear entered his chest, _It's really sad when you're afraid of your own mother._ Sonic thought to himself as he walked down his staircase, and out his front door. He heard the door slam behind him before he took off in a bright blue blur.

*Ombra d'amore*

Shadow's left ear twitched, and twitched again before tired ruby eyes open. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and yawned. Sharp, white fangs gleam from the slight light coming from the moon, and planet. The ebony hedgehog got up, and stretched out his cramped muscles. Shadow stopped his stretching session when a weird sensation came from his stomach. He looked down, and rubbed his black pelt to calm it down. It didn't help as his stomach churned, and his tan muzzle turned slightly green.

The ebony hedgehog raced out of the room, and to the closest bathroom located on the A.R.C. He made it inside, and to the toilet just in time. He lifted the seat, and retched into the white porcelain. Unfortunately, nothing came out as the ebony hedgehog hadn't eaten properly in days. He continued to dry heave into the toilet, and stopped minutes later. Shadow takes in much needed air, and unsteadily stood back up. The churning feeling in his stomach returned, and he dropped back down. He repeated his earlier dry heaving session, and, once he was done, stayed sitting on the floor.

Shadow took in large gulps of air, and tried to settle his uneasy stomach. When it finally settled, the ebony hedgehog reached up, and closed the toilet seat. He scooted over to the wall beside the toilet, and leaned against it. _What's wrong with me? _It was that moment when his stomach rumbled in hunger. The rumbling continued, and the ebony hedgehog decided to chance getting back up.

He slowly stood back up, and used the wall as support. His stomach rumbled again, and Shadow sighed in relief when the uneasy feeling didn't return. _Now, where am I going to get some food?_ He sighed again, but this time it was in defeat. He would have to return to the planet if he was going to get anything to eat.

Shadow reached inside his head quills, and took out his dark blue chaos emerald. It glowed softly before Shadow said his famous two words. "Chaos Control." He then disappeared in a flash of light.

The ebony hedgehog reappeared in front of his favorite café. He entered the small restaurant, and sat down at his favorite booth in the corner of the establishment. He sighed, and waited for his waiter or waitress to take his order. He didn't even look at the menu since he came here so much, and had already had it memorized.

"Oh! Shadow! How nice it is to see you." The ebony hedgehog turned, and saw that his waitress was none other than Sonic's younger sister, Sonia.

He sighed, "Hello, Sonia. When did you start working here?"

The female hedgehog blushed, and gripped her waitressing note book. "Well, I just started today actually."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Isn't your mother the queen? Why are you working here if you already have more than enough money to live off of?"

"Mom wanted me to have some experience with a job." She turned, and pointed towards the kitchen entrance. "Manic is working as a cook here as well."

His ruby eyes travel back to his table. "I see…"

Sonia perked up, but her blush still remained on her muzzle. "What can I get you, Shadow?"

"I'll take a chicken Caesar salad."

She quickly wrote it down in her note book, and looked back at the ebony hedgehog. "What would you like to drink?"

"Just water would be fine." Sonia nodded, wrote it down, and practically skipped away to the kitchen. Shadow sighed, and rolled his eyes at the girl's behavior. _Sonic sure has a weird family._ His heart clenched, and tears sprang back to his eyes at the mere thought of the other hedgehog. Shadow put his head in his hand, and turned to look out the window to his right. _I should just give up. I'm just something that was created to kill; I can't love, I'm not meant to be loved. I am forever cursed to be alone; Maria being killed, and Sonic not remembering, it was all meant to be. Both of those incidents happened for a reason; that I would be alone for my entire life…_ The ebony hedgehog continued to daze out the window, and let a lone tear slide down his face.

*Ombra d'amore*

Sonic skid to a stop in front of the gates leading into Queen Aleena's castle. He waved to the four guards stationed at the entrance, and they nod to him before opening the gates. He walked through the opening in the entrance, and the dread returned when he heard them clang behind him.

_Might as well get this over with_, Sonic thought. He walked up to the grand doors of the castle, and placed his hands on the handle. The cobalt hedgehog took in a deep breath, before slowly letting it out. He put on a confident face, and pushed open the doors.

"Sonic! You're five minutes late!"

"Nice to see you too, mom." His mother, Queen Aleena, stood in the middle of the entrance. She wore a grand white, and purple dress that reached all the way down to the floor. The older female hedgehog uncrossed her arms, and motioned for her son to follow her. They quietly walked down a long hallway; the only sounds coming from Queen Aleena's high heels, and the soft, muffled taps of Sonic's red, and white sneakers. "It's not polite to keep waiting your future fiancée."

"Fiancée?! Since when has Sally been my fiancée?!" Sonic stopped walking, and Queen Aleena turned around to glare at her eldest son.

"You are the future king, Sonic! Not to mention that Princess Sally, and you have been together for months! How long are you going to make her wait before you finally manage to pop the question?!"

Sonic locked eyes with his mother, and glared right back. "That's never going to happen, mom!"

"And why is that?!"

"I'm in love with someone else!"

"Then take her as your wife instead of Princess Sally!"

"I can't!"

"Why not, Sonic?! Why are you being so difficult?!"

"Because I'm gay!" Silence filled the corridor, and Queen Aleena looked stunned at her son's confession. Sonic looked down, and his reflection reflected off of the polished marble. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about, mom. I don't want the throne, because I'm in love with a man, and I just want to live a peaceful life with them." The cobalt hedgehog's voice, for once, was a whisper.

"Sonic… I-" Queen Aleena started before a door slammed open, and she was interrupted.

"I knew it! I knew you were gay, Sonic!"

Both hedgehogs turned towards the shouting voice. "Sally?!" Sonic yelled in fright as he saw his pissed off girlfriend.

*Ombra d'amore*

Shadow sat back in his seat, and sighed in content as his empty stomach was finally filled. He grabbed his glass of water, and chugged down the whole glass at once. Sonia came over, and took his empty plate, and glass. "Is there anything else you would like?"

"Can I have a slice of apple pie?" The ebony hedgehog didn't have much of a sweet tooth, but for whatever reason he was craving something sweet. Sonia nodded, and left his booth. The magenta hedgehog came back a minute later, and placed a nice sized piece of apple pie in front of him. "Thank you." He grabbed his fork, and lifted up a nice amount of the dessert into his mouth.

Sonia fidgeted for a second, and spoke up. "I'm on my lunch break right now; would you mind if I sat with you?" Shadow gestured to the seat across from him, and the female hedgehog sat down. Sonia tapped the wooden table before working up the courage to speak to the ebony hedgehog. "So, Shadow-"

"Hey, guys! What's up?" Manic interrupted his sister, and slid into the booth next to her. "Hey, Stripes, how's it hanging?" Shadow completely ignored the green hedgehog, and continued eating his piece of pie. "Uh huh, how interesting." Manic said sarcastically when the ebony hedgehog didn't answer him. The green hedgehog then turned towards his sister instead. "Why are you hanging out with Mr. Sunshine here, sis? It can't be because of his oh so charming personality." His sister glared at him, and Manic cocked his head to the side. "What did I say?"

Sonia shook her head, and turned her attention back to Shadow. "As I was saying, Shadow I-" She was interrupted yet again, not by someone, but by a ringing coming from her pocket. The song, I'm Sexy and I Know It, was coming from her cell phone, and Sonia picked it up. "Manic, if you ever touch my phone again, I'm going to kill you." She then pressed the talk button, and spoke into the receiver.

Manic held up his hands in defeat. "Hey, guilty as charged."

Shadow, meanwhile, was studying the two hedgehogs across from him. _They are definitely Sonic's siblings. _He put his fork back down, and kept his stare on the now empty plate. He heard Sonia gasp, and looked back up to find a shocked female hedgehog. Manic just looked confused, and both male hedgehogs watched the female until she put away her phone. "Manic, mom wants us back home."

"Alright, but what does she want?"

"I'll tell you when we get there." They get out of the booth, and Sonia took Shadow's plate. "Do you want to come with us, Shadow?"

He shrugged, and gave Sonia the money for his food. "I have nothing else to do."

Sonia nodded, "I'll be right back. Manic, can you tell our boss we're leaving, and I'll take the dish in back, and put the money in the cash register?" Manic nodded, and took off to do his task. The female hedgehog left, and quickly came back moments later. The green hedgehog returned minutes after his sister, and they all leave for Queen Aleena's castle.

**I'm sorry for the long wait guys. I'm not used to writing these fluffy types of stories, and sometimes I have to completely rewrite the entire chapter until I'm happy with it.**

**Sonic:**** When are Shadow and I finally going to be together, Silver?**

**Whenever I feel like it.**

**Sonic:**** I hate you.**

**You and Shadow always say that and yet you always come back to do these chapters for me.**

**Sonic:**** … I still hate you…**

**Whatever, Read and Review everyone!**

**P.S. Feel free to PM me or send a random review and yell at me to get my last ass to write these chapters. Because, I'm really lazy with this story compared to all my other ones. :)**


	5. Requiem for a Dream

**Before I start I would like to thank Sonadowlover121 for giving me a lot of ideas for this chapter! Now on with the story!**

Shadow, Sonia, and Manic quickly walked up to the giant castle of Queen Aleena. The ebony hedgehog stopped in mid-stride, and was amazed at the large castle in presented in front of him. He may have lived in a space station floating in space, but the beautiful layout, and largeness of the building amazed him to no end. All he caught was the four large towers sticking out on all corners of the castle, and the bright red brick before Sonia grabbed him, and pushed him through the now opened gates. Sonia continued to push him down the pathway leading to the entrance, and Shadow started to get annoyed at the contact of the female hedgehog. He shoved her off, and continued his stride to the entrance. Sonia didn't seem to notice, since it seemed she was more worried about whatever was happening inside the complex.

Manic didn't even pause, and opened the large door to the castle. He motioned for the two of them to walk in. Shadow, and Sonia glided inside, and Manic walked in after them. The ebony hedgehog was too preoccupied by the portraits hanging in the hallway that he didn't hear the shouting that was increasingly getting louder the farther they walked. Soon Shadow figured out that the portraits were, in fact, the paintings of the kings, and queens of the past.

However, the ultimate hedgehog's sensitive hearing caught the yelling match at the end of the hallway, and he focused on that instead. He picked up that there were three people involved in it, but the shouting was too jumbled together, either by all of them talking at once or the voices were bouncing off the empty hall.

The three hedgehogs soon caught sight of the people making the noise. Shadow sighed as he noticed that one was a cobalt hedgehog, another a brown squirrel, and an older hedgehog that looked a lot like Sonia. Manic, and Sonia rushed up to the three Mobians, and tried to get them to stop their fighting. Shadow, however, stayed a few feet away since he wasn't at all involved in the problem the three were having… At least, not that he knew of.

"I don't get why you're making such a big deal about this, Sally! You didn't even love me in the first place!" Sonic screamed at this girlfriend.

"Sonic the Hedgehog! Don't you dare yell at Princess Sally like that! I didn't raise you to be this way!" Who Shadow assumed was Queen Aleena scolded her son.

"Well, at least you figured that much out you nitwit!" Sally yelled. She turned away, and crossed her arms across her chest. "Now I can finally be with the one I _really_ love."

"Please stop fighting you guys!" Sonia begged. Manic tried to get in between the fighting Mobians only to get pushed away by his brother as he tried to get over to the female squirrel.

"What do you mean by that, Sally? If you've always loved someone else, why didn't you try to be with him instead of starting this meaningless relationship with me?" Sonic narrowed his emerald eyes at the female.

Sally turned back around. "The same reason you started it; I was forced by my father to have the _perfect_ husband." The squirrel sneered at the word perfect.

Queen Aleena saw a black blur out the corner of her eye, and turned to find Shadow standing a few feet away. She blinked, before she strode over, and got in between Sonic, and Sally. "Enough of this you two; we have a guest."

Both of them looked around the older magenta hedgehog, and found the ebony hedgehog curiously watching the royal fight going on in front of him. "Shadow!" Sonic and Sally said at the same time, before glaring at each other.

Queen Aleena clapped her hands together, and walked over to the black and red hedgehog. "Hello Mr. Shadow; I don't we've ever had to pleasure to meet each other before this. I'm sorry about what you just witnessed, and would like to start over. Hello, I'm Queen Aleena, but you can just call me Aleena."

She held out her hand, and Shadow took it. They shook hands, and the rest of the Mobians gathered behind the Queen. "Hello, Aleena; just call me Shadow. I don't like the whole 'Mr.' thing."

She nodded, and gestured to the group of Mobians behind her. "I take it you know the rest of us." Shadow nodded.

Sonic walked up from behind his mother. "What are you doing here, Shadow?"

The ebony hedgehog held in the squirm he wanted to let out as the cobalt hedgehog locked onto his form. Shadow knew he had to answer the question, but how could he do that when he could barely think about the other without crying?

Luckily for him, Sonia answered the question for him. "I was Shadow's waitress at my new job at the café. I was having my lunch break with him when mom called my cell phone. I asked him if he would like to come with us back to the castle."

Shadow almost sighed in relief, and mentally thanked Sonia for the save. His relief turned to annoyance, and anger as he saw Sally walk up from behind Queen Aleena. A large smile on her face, and Shadow had to hold in a shudder as she got closer to him. "Oh, Shadow! How nice it is to see you!" Sally said in an overly sweet voice. Everyone, but Shadow raised an eye ridge at how the brown squirrel was acting. "It must be fate that you would be here!"

"Fate?" The ebony hedgehog questioned as he tried to stop himself from punching the female.

"Yes, it must be fate when the one you love shows up when you're breaking up with your boyfriend." Shadow's ruby eyes widened, and didn't even have time to react as Sally kissed him on the lips. Everyone, even Queen Aleena's, jaws dropped as the squirrel boldly kissed the ebony hedgehog. Sally pulled away, and Shadow stayed where he was. He was beyond shocked, and couldn't move because of it. The poor hedgehog couldn't comprehend that one of the people he hated most in the world just kissed him, let alone confessed her _love_ for him at the same time.

Shadow was roused out of his shock as Sonic started to randomly growl before he pushed the ebony hedgehog to the ground. The ebony hedgehog landed on his back, and his ears twitched as a sonic boom cracked in the hallway. The windows shattered, and the portraits were ripped off the walls. The rest of the Mobians were knocked to the marble floor, and the females screamed as they hit the ground.

The ebony hedgehog was back on his feet in a matter of seconds. He took off after the cobalt hedgehog, but was careful not to cause another sonic boom until he reached the safety of being outside of the gates. He faintly noticed a blue streak taking off to the right of him, and chased after it. Shadow ran at his full speed, and was surprised to find that he easily caught up with the other hedgehog. The Ultimate Lifeform didn't dwell on it for long since Sonic seemed to have finally noticed Shadow chasing after him, and started to speed up. Before the other got any faster, Shadow grabbed the other's wrist, and forced Sonic to skid to a stop.

"Let go of me, Shadow!" The ebony hedgehog was too preoccupied with getting the other to stop his struggles that he didn't hear the crack that sounded in Sonic's voice. "Why don't you just let me go, and then have fun with your new _girlfriend_!"

"Would you stop your struggling, faker?! I'll go out with that squirrel when flying monkeys start coming out of my ass! _Now settle down_!" Sonic stopped fighting to get out of the other hedgehog's grasp, and Shadow looked him over before deeming that he would stay if he let him go. The ebony hedgehog released his tight grasp on the other male, and took a step back. Shadow's eyes widened for the second time that day, and he choked in a gasp. Tears streamed down the blue hero's face, and Shadow had to stop himself from wrapping the other in a comforting hug. "Why… why are you crying, Sonic?"

"You actually called me by my name for once," the cobalt hedgehog choked out.

"Sonic, _why are you crying_?! Are you still in love with that squirrel? I thought you were in love with someone else!" This time Shadow couldn't help himself, and he took the other's shoulders, and started to rapidly shake him.

"Then why are you acting like this?!"

"I can't tell you, Shadow!" Sonic yelled back.

"And why can't you?!" _Why is Sonic being so difficult? Why can't he just tell me?_

"Because you won't believe me! Why are you doing this in the first place?! I thought you hated me!" Sonic desperately screamed out; he couldn't tell Shadow that he loved him! He just couldn't! Not only would he be flat out rejected, but the other would hate his guts more that he already did. At least at the moment the two of them raced, and hung out with each once in a blue moon.

"Of course I'll believe you, and don't you dare say that I hate you, because if I did, why would I be standing in front of you right now?!"_Has Sonic always thought that I hated him? _"Just tell me, Sonic," Shadow whispered out.

The cobalt hedgehog's emerald eyes hardened. "No means no, Shadow!" Sonic pushed the other male off him, and raised his hand before punching Shadow in his stomach.

The ebony hedgehog gasped at the sudden, excruciating pain that rippled through the area that Sonic had just punched. He clutched his pained stomach, and dropped to his knees. Unwanted tears sprang to his eyes, and the pain suddenly turned to nausea. Shadow felt bile building up in the back of his throat, and desperately tried to hold it in.

"Shadow?" Sonic dropped down to the other hedgehog's level, and started to rub Shadow's back. "Hey, buddy, are you okay? I didn't think I hit you too hard."

The Ultimate Lifeform tried to push the other away, but failed horribly. Shadow felt his stomach churn, and he looked away from Sonic so if he did vomit it would be away from the other hedgehog. The ebony hedgehog groaned at the nausea, and pain, but this only seemed to make Sonic that much more worried about him. _What the hell is wrong with me?_

"You look a little green, Shadow. You're not sick or something, are you?" Sonic continued to rub Shadow's back, and the ebony hedgehog felt his nausea easing away with every stroke the other male gave him.

"I'm… I'm fine, faker." Shadow forced out of his mouth. "You can go away now." He had to get Sonic away from him since Shadow knew that he was going to vomit soon, with or without the backrub the other was currently giving him.

"Come on, Shadow, even I know there is something currently wrong with you. You should lie down." Sonic stopped his backrub, and, instead, moved his hands to Shadow's shoulder. He softly tried to move the other to the grass below so Shadow could lie down.

The ebony hedgehog's eyes widened when Sonic stopped the rubbing, and he felt the vomit rising in his throat again. However, this time he couldn't hold it in. He roughly pushed the blue hero away from him, and abruptly turned away. Shadow violently vomited his lunch onto the grass, and heard Sonic move back over to him. At this point, Shadow couldn't care less about the other since his throat felt like it was on fire.

When it was over, the ebony hedgehog's nose scrunched up at the smell of his bile. He held in his breath, and crawled a few feet away from the mess. Shadow let out his breath, and took in some much needed oxygen.

"Shadow, you are most definitely not okay!" Sonic exclaimed, and started rubbing the other male's back once again. The events that led up to this didn't even cross back into the blue hero's head. Sonic had completely forgotten it since the one he loved was currently clutching his stomach in pain, and had just puked onto the ground. "I'm bringing you to Tails whether you like it or not, Shadow. He'll figure out what's wrong with you."

"Fine… just hurry."

Sonic grinned, and gently picked Shadow into his arms. "Hey, this is Sonic the Hedgehog you're speaking to!" The blue hero took off; softly at first, but sped up when he thought the hedgehog in his arms could handle it.

Halfway to Tails' place, Shadow nudged the other, and Sonic placed the ebony hedgehog on the ground just in time. Shadow dropped to his knees, and vomited again onto the ground. _What the hell is wrong with me?_ Shadow thought again; _When will this torture ever end?_ When the ebony hedgehog was finished, he breathed heavily in, and out. "I think… I think I'm done now, Sonic."

The blue hero nodded, and softly placed Shadow back into his arms. Before taking off again, Sonic checked to see that Shadow was truly ready to go. The cobalt hedgehog nodded, and took off running back to Tails' place.

*Ombra d'amore*

They finally made it to the two tailed fox's workshop, and Sonic repositioned the ebony hedgehog in his arms so he could knock on his little brother's door. "Open up, Tails! I, er, we need your help!"

Sonic, and Shadow's ears twitched as they hear feet pounding up a staircase. They both grimaced as they heard a loud thud, and lots of cursing followed after. Tails opened the door, and a large red welt was forming on the small kit's forehead. "What's the matter, Sonic?"

"Are you okay, lil bro?" Tails glared at him, and Sonic decided that it would be a good time to get to why he and Shadow were there. "I think there's something wrong with Shads here. I lightly punched him in the stomach, and afterwards he started puking like no tomorrow!"

Tails looked at the ebony hedgehog in Sonic's arms, and motioned them in. "Follow me, and watch out for the pole hanging down from the basement staircase."

"Pole? What pole?" The cobalt hedgehog yelped as he hit the said pole, and a large red welt eerily similar to Tails' started to form on his forehead as well.

"That pole, Sonic…" Tails sighed at his older brother, while the ebony hedgehog just chuckled.

Sonic set Shadow back down, and started to rub the forming red mark. "Anything else I need to watch for, Tails?" The cobalt hedgehog asked sarcastically.

Tails sweat dropped, and shook his head. "No, that was it." He pointed at a nearby table. "Can you lay on that table for me, Shadow? I'm going to start by looking at your stomach since that's where the problem seemed to have started." The ebony hedgehog nodded, and walked over to the table, and lied down on top of the metal top. He shivered slightly at the cold metal, and glanced over to see what to do next. "Can you wait upstairs while I do this, Sonic?"

"Say no more, lil bro. I understand I'll only be in the way." He walked back up the staircase, and another loud bang sounded. They both hear Sonic curse, and slam the overhead door.

"What am I going to do with him?" The two tailed kitsune sighed, and walked over to his many machines. "I'm going to start by giving you an ultrasound, Shadow." Tails squirted some clear gel onto his fingers. "I'm placing this on your stomach so I'll be able to see the inside of your stomach clearer. It's going to be a little cold, okay?"

"Just get it over with already." Tails nodded, and placed the gel onto the ebony hedgehog's stomach. He turned on the machine, and took the handle. The small kit placed it onto Shadow, and moved it around a bit before he gasped, and dropped the handle. "What's the matter?" Tails didn't answer; instead he rushed over to his medical kit, and took out a long needle, and rubbing alcohol. He squirted the alcohol onto a cotton swab, and rubbed it into Shadow's black fur on his arm. Next, he checked the needle, and pushed it into the cleaned area. "What the hell are you doing, fox?!" Again, Tails didn't answer. The small kit drew a fair amount of red blood from the Ultimate Lifeform, and rushed over to his chemistry set. Shadow got up, and sat on the edge of the metal table, and watched the other Mobian work.

Tails dripped some of the blood into a small tube, and poured some mixed chemicals inside. He swirled the mixture around for a bit, and he stopped when it turned pink. Tails turned wide eyed, and turned around to the hedgehog on his medical table. "Sha- Shadow."

"What the hell is wrong with you, fox boy?"

"Sha- Shadow you're pregnant."

"What do you mean I'm pregnant? I'm a guy for Pete's sake! I can't be pregnant!"

Tails shook his head. "Of course I know that, Shadow! But the tests don't lie!" The kitsune seemed to think something over. "Why would _I_ lie to you about something like this?"

Shadow went wide eyed, and looked down at the basement floor. "I know that, Tails… But how is it possible in the first place?"

The kitsune shook his head again. "I don't know; all I know is that it happened for whatever reason. But, Shadow… Who's the father?"

The ebony hedgehog blushed. "That's none of your business, fox boy!" He was going to continue on, but with the look that the other was giving him, Shadow realized that the kit was only trying to help him. "Sonic is… but he was drunk when it happened."

"We have to tell him, Shadow," Tails begged the ebony hedgehog.

"You will do no such thing!" Shadow jumped off the table, and walked up the stairs. "If I find out that you told him, fox, I'll make your life a living hell!" The ebony hedgehog ducked underneath the pole, ignored the worried Sonic, and rushed out the kitsune's workshop.

**Sonic:**** You just love creating suspense and have Shadow and I get together at the end of the fic, don't you?**

**Yup! However, the second one won't happen! I promise you that my little hedgehog friend!**

**Shadow:**** You're acting creepy again, Silver…**

**That's what happens when you run on four hours of sleep for three days. Happy now readers! I do this just for you! Just kidding! I just haven't been sleeping well with the constant thunder storms each night. :)**

**Please Read and Review! **

**P.S. Someone on DeviantART has drawn a picture of Ombra d'amore! There's a link on my profile page if you want to check it out! X3**


	6. Dancing With the Devil

**Omg! I updated! Can you believe it?! XD Now on with the story!**

Shadow raced through the forest, he dashed past over turned trees and large pieces of rock. His white, red and black rocket shoes scorched the green ground with every stride. However, his mind was completely blank. He was pregnant. The father didn't even know he had sex with him in the first place. He deserved this punishment; he should never have taken advantage of Sonic, no matter how much the other had wanted it.

He slowed down and walked to a halt in front of a cliff. Shadow had no idea that there was even a cliff here; he would have died seconds ago because he wasn't even paying attention to where he was going. Tears sprang back to his eyes and Shadow shook his head back and forth to get rid of them. Damn hormones.

What would he do now? Hide out his pregnancy on the Space Colony ARC? Abortion? No, never. He would never kill something that wasn't even born yet. It wasn't the baby's fault that he had been so stupid as to get himself pregnant. This baby was half his and… half Sonic's. He couldn't kill it. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't kill something that was living inside him. Feeding off him. _Needing_ him to live.

How did he get pregnant in the first place? Yes, he knew that it happened through sex, but how did _he_ get pregnant. Emphasis on the he part. Shadow was a _guy_ he _shouldn't_ have gotten pregnant in the first place. However, Shadow had a very big feeling that it had something to do with the Professor. Only he would have been crazy enough to put a female organ inside a male.

However, it didn't really matter on how it happened; all that mattered was that it _did_. He had to figure out a strategy. What to do now since he _was _pregnant. A sudden thought flashed into his mind. There was only one person that he even remotely trusted with his life. It was time to take a visit to Rouge the Bat. After all, she _was_ the one who had stolen all the information on him from the ARC. Next stop, Club Rouge.

*Ombra d'amore*

Shadow slowed down at the edge of the city. He could've run through the crowded city at top speeds if he wanted to, but it might not have been a good idea. Station Square was one of the busiest and most surprising cities in the world. After all, it was the place where Sonic and his friends had transported to long ago, the place where Eggman always attacked and the home of said Mobians including himself. Running at top speeds in this place took a hundred and twenty percent of his attention. Not to mention he didn't want to risk getting hurt and, in turn, hurting or even killing his unborn child.

So, his decision would be taking the slow and safe route through the city. Rouge's club was in the middle of the city and Shadow had a long way to go before getting there. Along the way, the citizens of Station Square gave him strange looks, whether it be from him walking or his old path for revenge, he didn't care. His stomach growled and Shadow growled along with it. This kid was going to make him fat with the constant need for nutrients. Shadow himself didn't need to eat since he could live off the chaos energy around him, but he highly doubted that the kid inside him could live like that.

Shadow shook his head, he had to get to Rouge's before she opened the club or he would never get a chance to speak with her. He quickened his pace and soon arrived at Rouge's club an hour before night fell. Shadow raised his hand to knock on her door and lowered it back down again. What the hell was he supposed to say to her once she opened the door? Hey, Rouge, I'm pregnant with Sonic's baby for whatever reason. Oh and he was drunk when we did it, so he doesn't know. I would also very much appreciate that you wouldn't tell him either, thanks a lot. Oh and one more thing, mind telling me what to do and not to do during pregnancy because I never thought I would become a mother… Yeah, not going to happen.

As if she had some kind of sixth sense, Rouge the Bat opened the door and leaned against the frame. She smirked at him and let him through the doorway into her house. Shadow stepped inside and heard the click of the door closing behind him. Rouge came up from behind him and hugged Shadow from the back.

"What did Blue Boy do now?" Rouge whispered into his ear. Shadow huffed and shrugged the female bat off him.

"How do you know it's even about him?"

Rouge giggled and circled around to look him in the eye. She smirked again and a dangerous glint formed in her aqua orbs. "Because you only seek me out when it has something to do with Blue Boy."

Shadow turned away to hide the red blush creeping across his muzzle. He _knew_ it was a bad idea to tell her about his affections for Sonic, but Rouge could smell any juicy secrets from ten miles away. There was no way he could have hidden something like this from her. Rouge wasn't known as the world's greatest spy for nothing.

Shadow sighed; he might as well just tell her already. The ebony hedgehog folded his arms across his chest and moved around Rouge to sit on her couch. She shrugged and sat down beside him.

Rouge narrowed her eyes and her small smirk faded from her muzzle. Yes, Shadow did come to her every time a problem with Sonic was brought up. However, Rouge had never seen him so tense before. Of course Shadow wasn't outwardly showing it, but he was very worried about something. His shoulders were tense; he looked about ready to jump out of his seat at any moment and a strange emotion she had never seen before was prominent in his ruby eyes. However, the biggest thing that was worrying her was the fact that Shadow was _sitting down._ He almost never sat down; he would either stand or lean against the nearest wall. Something was very wrong with her old partner and Rouge knew she had to get to the bottom of it.

Shadow inwardly groaned when he noticed that Rouge was now examining him like a pig at a county fair. Why did she always look at him like that whenever he asked her for advice on Sonic? Well, this wasn't exactly about Sonic. Yes, he was a part of it, but Sonic would, hopefully, never know about this little… 'accident'.

"Come on, Hun! Just tell me what happened!" Shadow blinked, he must have been too into his thoughts to notice that he was staring into space. Damn it, what was wrong with him today? I had to be the pregnancy getting to him; he _couldn't_ be feeling bad about not telling Sonic. After all, what could Sonic do? It's not like Sonic and him could frolic in a field of daisies and live happily ever after. Shadow cringed, now _that _was a scary thought. Sonic was supposed to be the next king… at least, as far as he knew. Shadow didn't know if Sonic really kept his promise of telling his mother about not wanting to be the next king or if it was just a drunken spur.

However, that didn't matter right now; he had to tell Rouge why he was here in the first place. Shadow took a deep breath and started from the very beginning. When he said beginning, Shadow meant beginning. Where it all started; the party in the club that Sonic had stalked him home. The fight outside his apartment and the next morning where he found out that Sonic had camped outside. When Sonic said he wanted to spend the day with him and the drawings he had found behind his bookcase. The beautiful sakura tree filled field and the time at the bar. Walking Sonic home and what happened that night in his bedroom. How Sonic didn't remember what happened the morning after and the events on the ARC. How he meet Sonia and Manic at his favorite dinner and the scene at the castle. Running after Sonic and the news that Tails had given him.

In the end, Rouge looked beyond stunned. Her best friend was pregnant with the world's biggest hero's child. That same hero didn't know he even had sex with Shadow to begin with and her _male_ _friend_ was pregnant for god's sake! Rouge shook her head and composed herself. "Tails might have been wrong, Shadow. Come with me, we'll do this the traditional way."

Rouge grabbed him by the arm and dragged him across her house. Shadow blinked, "Traditional way?"

She ignored him and pushed him into her bathroom. It was painted a light violet that made the black metal linings pop in the room. "Yes, the traditional way." She reached inside her overhead cabinet and pulled out a small box. She unsealed the top and took out a small white object. "A pregnancy test of course."

Shadow reached out and took the test. "Why exactly do you have a pregnancy test in your bathroom?"

Rouge blushed, "You know… just in case…" She flew out of the bathroom and was just about to close the door when she stuck her head back in. "Oh, and make sure you read the directions on the back of the box before you do it."

Without another word, Shadow closed the door on her and leaned against it. He might as well get this over with. Shadow picked up the ripped open box on the bathroom counter and examined the directions on the back. Unseal the plastic covering on the test and… Wait… I'm supposed to _pee_ on this?

*Ombra d'amore*

"Come on, Shadow! How long does it take to do one pregnancy test?!" Rouge pounded on the bathroom door and, after some choice cuss words, left the bathroom entrance. In truth, Shadow hadn't done a pregnancy test. No, he had done all of them in the box. After the first one had read positive it was like a dam had exploded. It seemed that the news that Tails had given him hadn't really stuck in his head. He knew that it he was pregnant, but his brain just couldn't compute it. He had to do all of them; it was like a sudden urge that he just couldn't ignore or shake off.

In the end, all of them were the same. Positive. He was pregnant. No doubt about it. Now he had to figure out what to do. He had talk to Rouge… no matter how much he would rather just curl up and wake up in his bed as if none of this happened. However, it did. He couldn't just mope about it; he had to do something or it would never be resolved.

Shadow got up from his spot on the bathroom floor and strode over to the door. He clicked the lock open and fell back down onto the ground. Rouge heard the door click and made her way back to the bathroom. She cautiously pushed the door open and kneeled on the ground next the male hedgehog on the floor. "You okay, Handsome?"

"Tails was right, Rouge. I am pregnant." He paused as if to compose himself and continued on. "What should I do?"

Rouge, for once, was speechless. None of her witty comments would come to her. She couldn't, not when she was seeing one of the most powerful people she knew frightened out of his wits on her bathroom floor. This wasn't the Shadow she knew. This was someone else that had probably only came out once in his entire life. When he had been helpless to save his best friend on the ARC; when he had seen her murdered in cold blood.

Rouge put her arm around his shoulders. "I think you need to rest."

Shadow shook his head and Rouge had to lean back to evade the deadly quills rocking back and forth in front of her face. "I can't rest right now. I need to figure out what to do. I need to figure out how to handle this pregnancy and how to care for a child and-"

Rouge had had enough of this. She needed her Shadow to come back _right now_. That was what she needed; she needed someone who could _function_ properly to figure this out, not some mumbling, frightened… _baby!_ Rouge raised her hand and slapped it across the rambling hedgehog's face. Shadow immediately stopped his rant and turned to look at her. The slap seemed to have the desired effect when his shoulders relaxed and his breathing went back to normal.

"There we go. Are you back to normal yet?" Shadow slowly nodded his head and gave the bat his full attention. "Now, here's my advice. Get some rest, you've had a _long_ day and should get some good shuteye in. After your nap we'll figure out what to do next, okay?"

"Okay." Rouge got up and held out her hand for Shadow to take. He flicked the outreached hand away from his face and got up as well. Rouge smiled, now _there_ was the Shadow she knew. They left the bathroom and Shadow turned to the left towards the guest bedroom. He opened the door to the bedroom and strode inside.

He flopped down on the made bed, careful not to land on his stomach, and sighed. He kicked off his shoes and they landed on the floor at the edge of the bed. Shadow looked at the slightly cracked ceiling and knew that sleeping away his worries wouldn't come easy. His mind was in too much of a whirlwind to sleep. Everything was happening way too fast for his liking. Shadow hated to admit it, but he felt completely helpless. He didn't know anything about pregnancy. He didn't know anything about how to take care of a child either. Shadow was beyond helpless in this situation.

Back on the ACK, the scientists and the Professor had taught him everything he would ever need to know to take care of himself, other people and just the general teachings of how to _live._ Everything he had learned, he had learned on the floating space colony over planet Earth. However, now it seemed he _hadn't_ learned everything that he would need to know.

Shadow sighed again and ran a hand through his head quills. There was only one other time in his life where he had felt this helpless. The time on the ARC where he had seen Maria die right in front of him and that he couldn't, in any way, help her. She had died while a monster like him had lived on. He still remembered everything as if it had happened moments ago. He hadn't always remembered what had happened because of the amnesia that had raged his mind several times, but now he did. The slow dripping of red blood out of her wound, the cry of pain that left her angel-like lips after being shot and how she fell to the ground after hitting the countdown release button located on the panel of the escape pod.

She had died while a monster like him had lived. Life was more than cruel, it was another Hell. Now the child he was carrying was to be a bastard and the son or daughter of a monster. With his life, it seemed when one agony was finished punishing him, another would come along to play its game as well.

His stomach rumbled and Shadow vaguely remembered the hunger he had felt on the way over. It seemed that the events that had happened at Rouge's had momentarily distracted him from the hunger pains in his stomach. Shadow slid back off the bed and reopened the door. He walked down the hallway leading to the kitchen and glanced inside.

The kitchen was dark since the sun had set a while ago and it seemed that Rouge had gone to bed as well since there was no sign of her anywhere. Shadow opened the large, white fridge to the right and looked inside. He wasn't surprised to find that the contents of the fridge were mostly fruit considering that Rouge was a kind of fruit bat. Shadow grabbed the bag of red grapes and closed the door. He went back to his room and laid down in the same spot he was before.

Shadow soon gathered a rhythm between his hand, bag and mouth. He mind started to wonder yet again and focused more on what Sonic was doing. Most of his thoughts before this whole incident were about his rival and it seemed that nothing had changed. Sonic still occupied his thoughts every waking moment and even during the night… but he wouldn't get into that. Shadow was so into his thoughts that he didn't even noticed that he had drifted off to sleep.

*Ombra d'amore*

The next morning Shadow had woken up feeling… off. He knew the reason for it, but he couldn't help but feel that the pregnancy was taking more of a toil on him then he previously thought it would. Usually he would be restless to get out of bed and start the day. Now all he wanted to do was curl back up in his warm blankets surrounding him and fall back asleep.

However, when the fresh smell of just brewed coffee reached his nose, Shadow couldn't help the urge to silence his addiction to the caffeinated drink coming from the kitchen. He reluctantly got out of his warm blankets and slid off the bed. Still groggy from sleep- another thing to add to the list of new things about the pregnancy- he silently padded down the hallway. Shadow walked into the kitchen, ignoring Rouge sitting at the table, and grabbed a coffee cup located in a cabinet above the sink.

Shadow was just about to pour a good amount of the bitter liquid when Rouge's hand stopped his own clutching the coffee pot. He turned to look at her in confusion and the female bat just gave him a slight sad and careful smile. "You can't have any caffeine."

He growled slightly and clutched the pot handle even harder, but eventually placed it back down on the counter. _Great, _Shadow growled to himself, _just what I need during this, no caffeine._ He felt Rouge move to another counter and pick up a bag.

"Before you got up, I went out and picked up some breakfast. I have donuts and bagels in here. What do you want?" Rouge asked and held out the bag for him to take.

Shadow took the bag and reached inside. "Bagel," he took one of them out and placed it on a clean plate that Rouge must have put on the table before for him. Shadow handed the bag back to her and grabbed the cream cheese next. "Next time," Rouge looked back at him, "don't try to cheer me up by getting comfort food for breakfast."

Rouge sighed, but it was only halfhearted considering the smile that crept across her face after. Shadow grabbed the knife that was resting on top of the cream cheese and slowly lathered the milky white substance on both slices. He normally didn't eat breakfast, but he wasn't in a normal situation any more.

Both of them ate in complete silence, but it was a comfortable one. Sometime later, and after many trips to the bathroom since Shadow _definitely_ had morning sickness, a knock came to the door. Rouge got up from her position on the couch and went to answer the door. Shadow and Rouge had been planning together on what he was to do for the next nine months and had ended up sitting on the couch together in the living room.

Shadow before couldn't even comprehend how different his life was about to change. There were so many things that he had to do to keep himself and the baby healthy. Not to mention the part where he was supposed to give birth. Rouge suggested a C-section, but Shadow wasn't at all looking forward to a stranger cutting him open like a melon, even if he was a professional.

The front door clicked open and none other than Rouge's echidna boyfriend, Knuckles, stood at the doorway. He greeted his girlfriend and walked inside. Everything seemed fine until Knuckles' purple eyes landed on the ebony hedgehog sitting on the couch. "What are you doing here?"

"Visiting Rouge," Knuckles may have been Rouge's boyfriend, but that didn't mean he had to like the echidna. Knuckles and him had never really gotten along very well. They had never really seen eye to eye and, since they weren't alike in any way, they never would.

Knuckles growled and turned to Rouge. "Why is he here?! This sure doesn't look like just a visit! What have you two been doing?! Are you cheating on me?!" Shadow blinked, why the _hell_ would Knuckles think _that?!_ He knew the other was thick headed at times, but he couldn't honestly think that Rouge and him were… well, doing _that _that together! Could he?

Rouge looked taken back by the sudden accusation, but quickly recovered. "How can you think that?!"

"Well, it's obvious that you've gotten around. Not to mention that this guy," he gestured his large, glove-mitt hand at Shadow, "has always been around you. I wouldn't be surprised if you two have done it together!"

For the first time that Shadow had met her, he had never seen Rouge cry, but right now, with Knuckles yelling and accusing her for cheating, tears were about to fall down her face. After another minute of yelling, Shadow had had enough of Knuckles' accusations.

Shadow jumped out of his seat and punched the red echidna to the ground. Knuckles was about to get up, but Shadow pressed his foot down on his chest, preventing him from getting up. "Now listen here, echidna. Rouge has _never_ betrayed you and you're being so extremely stupid right now saying that she has!" Shadow didn't know if it was the hormones talking or not, but, currently, he didn't at all care. He couldn't stop.

"How can I trust what you're saying, hedgehog?! Give me proof that you've never touched her!" Knuckles wasn't about to give up. No, he had always secretly been scared that Rouge would leave him for someone better. I mean, look at him, he was a complete mess! He didn't deserve someone like Rouge. Not to mention that Shadow looked a hundred times better than him and had known Rouge longer and knew her better than he ever would.

Shadow narrowed his ruby eyes; Knuckles was even denser then he thought he was. "Because I'm gay, echidna," as soon as he had said it, he immediately regretted it. Shadow's eyes widened; had he really just said that? He must have considering that Knuckles and Rouge were both looking at him as if he was crazy.

"You're… you're gay, Shadow?" You might have thought that this had come from Knuckles underneath Shadow's foot, but no. It was from a newcomer at the left open doorway. It was from Sonic the Hedgehog.

**Sonic always seems to come at the wrong times, huh? (Or is it the right times? XD) Yeah, this chapter is boring but it had to be done. The real stuff happens next chapter! Stay tuned! (Oh, god. I sound like an annoying TV announcer.)**

**As you have probably noticed, I did not update on Tuesday. This is because I can't do it any longer; I have too much on my plate and can't work on my stories. So, now they will be updated when they are updated.**

**READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!**


	7. Chasing the Sun

**Before I start, I would like to say I do know that ARK is spelled with a k. I spelled it as ARC on purpose; it just thought it looked better. *Shrugs* I like being different; don't question it. **

**But, thanks to all the people who tried to help me by pointing this out. I **_**like**_** getting feedback from you guys to help me out with my writing; so, don't feel shy to point out my faults. I know I still have a lot to learn. :)**

**Now, on with the story!**

"_You're… you're gay, Shadow?" You might have thought that this had come from Knuckles underneath Shadow's foot, but no. It was from a newcomer at the left open doorway. It was from Sonic the Hedgehog._

Shadow's mind went completely white. He couldn't think. He couldn't speak. Sonic had heard him confessing to being gay. What would he think? Would he think he was a freak? Would he ignore him as if he had never existed? What would Sonic do now that he knew his third worse secret? Third because it was right behind him loving Sonic and that he was carrying Sonic's child.

Sonic had never seen Shadow like this. He couldn't help himself after he had learned Shadow confessing he was gay. Sonic never would have imagined someone like Shadow being gay. He was too guarded. He was too… well, Shadow. Sonic couldn't put someone like Shadow into words; it would do him injustice.

After he had said those three words, Sonic never would have guessed Shadow would act this way. Sonic had been ready for the other to immediately put up his guard and play it off as nothing. However, he was currently seeing a whole different side of his rival.

Shadow looked like he had seen a ghost. His normal tan muzzle was pale; his mouth was gapped open. Shadow's body was as ridged as a board and he was… shaking. Shaking in anger? Or was it something else entirely?

"So… since you're gay; you and Rouge haven't… done 'that', right?" Shadow's eyes flickered down to the echidna underneath his foot. Knuckles always had to break the mood didn't he? However, one thing Knuckles did right was get Shadow out of his stunned state.

The ebony hedgehog removed his foot from Knuckles chest and let the red echidna get up from the ground. Rouge hurried over and shooed Knuckles out of the room. When both Rouge and Knuckles had left the room, Sonic and Shadow were left, alone, in an awkward silence.

"It- it's not what you th-think, Sonic. Knuckles was… Knuckles was just, ah, accusing Rouge of cheating on him a-and I had to step in since he mentioned m-me. I-I'm not re-really gay, it's just- just something I had to sa-say to get him o-off of Rouge's b-back." Shadow didn't know what else to do, he had to lie or he might lose the newfound friendship between Sonic and him.

Sonic's eyes narrowed; did Shadow really expect him to believe that? Shadow had _never_ stuttered in his life, as far as he knew, and that was a lie if he ever saw… heard one. What he didn't understand was why Shadow would be lying about this. Didn't Shadow see that he wouldn't care if he was gay?

Wait… if Shadow was gay… did that mean that he had a chance? If Shadow was gay did that mean that he had a chance for the other to love him too? He had to find out. He had to get Shadow to admit that what he had just said was a lie.

Sonic crossed his arms across his chest and stepped inside Rouge's house. "Shadow, we both know that was a complete lie. Just admit it, you're gay."

Shadow narrowed his own eyes and clenched his fists at his sides. "So what if I'm lying, faker! Me being gay doesn't change who I am in any way! So don't judge me!" It was no use now, Sonic saw through his lie; no matter how pathetic the lie was.

Now, the best thing to do was to get Sonic to hate him. Sonic hating him was a hundred times better than Sonic feeling indifferent towards him. If Sonic hated him it meant that he had feelings towards him, no matter how painful it was. If he was indifferent… Sonic didn't have any feelings for him. He wouldn't lose any sleep if, let's say, Shadow died.

"I'm not judging you, Shadow!" How stupid could Shadow get? "I don't care if you're gay, bi or even if you've been hiding that you're a girl all these years!" Sonic looked around the room before returning his attention back to the hedgehog in front of him. "You're not a girl, right?"

Shadow flinched; he knew Sonic was joking, but the other hedgehog didn't know just how close to the mark he really was. Shadow crossed his arms across his chest and turned away. "Fine, I'm gay. What are you going to do about it?" Dear God, what was he going to do now?

A bright smile flashed onto Sonic's face, "See, that wasn't so hard." Shadow turned his head back around and raised an eye ridge at the cobalt hedgehog. "Shadow it's okay, I understand. I'm actually bi, so it's fine."

Shadow's eyes widened; Sonic was bi? These past few days had been so hectic and life changing. Sonic had broken up with Sally, Sonic admitted to liking someone else entirely and… Sonic was bi. Could this mean? No, no; he was getting his hopes up. Just because Sonic said he was bi and loved someone else doesn't mean it was him… It couldn't be him; too many good things have been going his way. There was no way that Sonic could love him. Not an emotionless killing machine like he was. Sonic and him had been rivals, enemies for Pete's sake. How could you go from enemies who were trying to kill each other to love? It didn't happen. End of story.

He had to give up on Sonic; he had to put all of his care and love to the child inside him… Sonic's child… No, he couldn't think about that. This was _his_ child and no one else's. Sonic would never know it was his, but… Sonic would find out about him being pregnant; it was only a matter of time. Sonic was… well, clingy; he would find out eventually about him being pregnant, but he would _never_ know it was his.

Shadow knew Rouge wouldn't tell. She may have been a spy, but she didn't give away important secrets like these. She wasn't cruel. The only person Shadow had to deal with was Tails. He would be a hard one since Tails was Sonic's 'little brother'. Those two shared everything together; it would be hard for the little kitsune to keep a secret like this. It was his 'big brother's' child his was carrying after all.

"Hello, Shadow? Anyone in there?" Sonic asked as he waved his hand in front of Shadow's face. The ebony hedgehog blinked and jumped back. Shadow's face heated up and Sonic smirked when he saw the blush.

The blush stayed on his face as Shadow turned around and stalked back down the hallway to his borrowed bedroom. _Damn it!_ Shadow thought, _I spaced out __**again**__ and in front of __**Sonic**__ this time. _Shadow growled and stomped inside his room and slammed the door.

Sonic yelped as the door slammed in front of his nose and jumped back to avoid hitting it. What was wrong with Shadow now? The other had been spacing out and it had started to concern him. He had seen so many new sides of Shadow today that it was starting to worry him. Shock was new; that was seen when he had walked in. Fear in the other's eyes when he had walked in as well. He had seen… was it hope when he had told Shadow he was bi?

"What's the matter, Shadow? You don't seem like yourself today. Are you sick or something?" Sonic asked through the door. Shadow stuffed his face into a pillow and groaned. Even Sonic had seen the difference. "Please open up, Shadow. I want to make sure you're okay."

Shadow's stomach churned and he clenched his fists. Sonic was worried about him… He should just open the door and tell him straight out. He-

"Why the _hell_ are there thousands of used pregnancy tests in here?! And… they all say _positive!_ What the _hell_ is going on here?!" Damn it, Knuckles, why? Why must you always do this? I _knew_ we should have gotten rid of those. I _knew _it.

Shadow jumped off the bed and raced to the door. He threw open the door with such force that it slammed against the wall and caused a large dent. _Damn… another thing I have to apologize to Rouge for._ He pushed passed a shocked Sonic and raced to the bathroom.

"Oh, no you don't, Shads. You did this to me once before and I won't let you do it again." Sonic said and followed the ebony hedgehog right on his heels.

When they made it to the bathroom, they found a frightened, cornered female bat and a male echidna about to blow a gasket. "How can you be pregnant?! We haven't… we haven't done 'that' together yet; so, how can you be pregnant, Rouge?!" Knuckles roared at Rouge. The female looked lost for words.

"I'm not pregnant, Knuckles!" Rouge gasped out. She knew who really was pregnant, but she couldn't tell Knuckles and expose Shadow's secret. Not when Sonic was here and watching the argument.

"I knew you and Shadow were doing it! I never once believed the crap of him being gay! There is no way in hell someone like Shadow could be gay!" Without any warning, Knuckles turned around and charged at Shadow. "I'm going to kill you! I knew you were evil! Once someone is with the bad guys, they always are one!"

Knuckles raised his fist and threw it at Shadow's head. The ebony hedgehog, quickly getting over his shock, ducked under the flying fist and allowed the red echidna to fly over him before grabbing Knuckle's ankle. Knuckles yelped as he was suddenly pulled forward and smashed on his back on the tile floor.

Rouge screamed as her floor exploded into dust and flying debris. She jumped back and shielded herself. Sonic, likewise, shielded himself, but instead of jumping back, jumped into the fighting zone. He made out the figures of Shadow pinning Knuckles to the floor and pulled the ebony hedgehog off him. Quick like his name, Sonic got in between Knuckles and Shadow before they could have another round.

"Settle down you two! This is not the time or place to be brawling like this!" Sonic shouted and threw his arms up to further the block in between Shadow and Knuckles.

The dust soon cleared away and Rouge quickly got in position beside Sonic as well. "Sonic's right! You two shouldn't be fighting; this is just a huge miss understanding!" Rouge locked eyes with Shadow, "And I shouldn't even have to tell _you_ why you shouldn't be fighting."

Shadow looked down and got out of his fighting stance. He unconsciously reached up and slowly started to rub his stomach. Sonic, however, caught this little motion from the other hedgehog and raised an eye ridge. Something big was going on here and he was going to get to the bottom of it even if he died doing it. Whatever was happening had to do with Shadow and Sonic would rather kill himself before ignoring whatever was happening to the one he was so in love with.

Shadow looked around the bathroom before turning around and leaving. "Where are you going, hedgehog?! We're not done yet!" Knuckles shouted after the retreating Shadow as Sonic and Rouge had to grab him to keep him where he was.

The ebony hedgehog stopped and slowly turned back around to glare at the struggling echidna. "I'm getting the phone."

All three occupants in the bathroom looked at Shadow as if he had grown a second head. "Why… are you getting the phone, Shadow?" Rouge asked.

The ebony hedgehog snorted, "To call someone, obviously."

Rouge, Sonic and even Knuckles glared at Shadow. Knuckles had stopped his struggles after seeing the weird behavior of the ebony hedgehog. Or, more like he had forgotten for a second on why he had been struggling in the first place when Shadow had suddenly gone out of character.

"Yes, we already know that you were going to call someone with a _phone_, Shadow. What we really want to know is _why_ you're going to call someone," Rouge droned and rubbed her temples. If Shadow was acting like this because of the pregnancy it was going to be a _long_ nine months.

"You'll see," was all Shadow said before striding down the hallway to the living room. He picked up the sleek, black home line phone and punched in a number. The other three made it to the living room and stared at Shadow. You know, just to make sure he didn't suddenly start to smile and exclaiming how much he loved butterflies, rainbows and glitter.

Shadow set the phone back down on the receiver and set it to speaker phone. Three loud buzzes vibrated from the phone before someone picked it up and said 'hello'.

"Tails?!" Sonic shouted out in amazement. Why did Shadow call Tails?... And how did Shadow even know Tails' phone number in the first place?

"Sonic? Why are you calling me? Usually you just run over here whenever you want to talk to me," Tails asked over the phone.

Before Sonic could speak, Shadow cleared his throat and started talking. "Tails, you're on speaker phone. We're at Rouge's house and Sonic, Rouge, Knuckles and I are here." Shadow paused and, after seeing that Tails wasn't going to speak again, kept going. "Do you remember what you told me yesterday?"

They all heard Rouge suck in a gasp and looked at her. She waved them away and they all turned their attention back to the phone. _So, __**that's**__ why Shadow was getting the phone! Good thinking, Shadow!_ Rouge thought to herself.

"A-are you s-sure, Shadow? Y-you told m-me not to-"

"It's fine, Tails. Just tell them what you found out and told me yesterday," Shadow sighed. It looked like he had made the small fox scared of him. Shadow felt a twinge of guilt, but shook it off; it was just the hormones talking.

"Al-alright; well, after Sonic punched Shadow in the stomach and caused him to start puking, Sonic carried Shadow to my lab to get him looked at."

Knuckles started laughing once he had heard Sonic had _carried_ Shadow over to Tails house. "Awww, does the great Ultimate Life Form get sick from one little punch and have to be carried by his rival _piggyback_ to Tails' lab to get looked at?" Knuckles teased and poked Shadow in the shoulder.

"Do that one more time and you'll soon have one less hand after I chaos spear it off of that pathetic thing you call a body," Shadow growled out. He was in no mood for Knuckles teasing. Tails was just about to reveal one of things he had been so desperate to hide from Sonic. _Rouge… you owe me one after this. I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't to save your relationship with that idiotic echidna, _Shadow growled to himself.

"Well, continuing on what I was saying before, Sonic carried Shadow to my lab and I gave Shadow a check up on what caused him to be sick. What I found was something… unusual…" Tails paused for a second, as if waiting for Shadow to blow up and tell him to shut up. When Shadow didn't say anything, Tails continued. "I went over the test over and over again, but the same outcome always came back…"

"Just hurry up and get to the point Tails!" Knuckles shouted ever the impatient one.

"Well, like I said, I did the test over and over again and they all said… that Shadow was pregnant…" The room fell into silence and Knuckles looked like he had seen a ghost. Sonic, however, looked like the news hadn't rattled him at all. He just stood there, with no emotion, staring at the phone.

Shadow turned to the stunned Knuckles, "There you have it, Knuckles. Rouge wasn't the one pregnant… I was…" Shadow was acting like the revealing hadn't affected him at all. It had. Shadow felt like he had died inside; Sonic was acting like he feared he would. He didn't care and probably thought he was a freak. Shadow had hoped that they could at least stay friends through this, but it looked like it was just a hopeless dream. Another horrible outcome in his useless life.

"But how… what? Um… What? How? Shadow… kid… pregnant… WHAT?" Knuckles sputtered out.

Rouge came up from behind him and took his arm. "Come on, Knucklehead. I'll explain it to you, just come with me." She pulled her boyfriend along and they both walked out of the room.

Shadow's eyes widened, that damn bat was leaving him alone with Sonic again!

"Um, Shadow?" The ebony hedgehog jumped and his body tensed up when Sonic's voice spoke out. What was Sonic going to do? Was he going yell at him and call him a freak? Would he just get up and leave him? Shadow didn't know if he could currently handle that right now. He would probably break down on the spot.

"Yeah?" Shadow held in his breath.

"I'm going to help you."

"Wait… what?"

"I said, I'm going to help you Shadow. You're my friend, of course I'm going to help you when you need it," Sonic reassured and placed a hand on Shadow's shoulder.

Shadow took in Sonic's bright smile and almost broke down right then and there. Sonic didn't think he was a freak. He was going to _help_ him. "Thank you, Sonic. You don't know how much this means to me…"

"You're welcome, Shadow. Of course I'll help you; I wouldn't just leave a friend in need." Shadow let a small smile creep across his face. "If you don't mind me asking, but, who's the father?"

Shadow stiffened, "That's none of your business." Even though the cat was out of the bag, Shadow couldn't bring himself to tell Sonic the child was his and that… he was in love with him. Sonic _had_ just called them friends a few moments ago; he couldn't just break that relationship after Sonic had just offered to help him…

"Alright…" Sonic's emerald eyes darkened in sadness. Shadow wasn't in love with him after all. Not when the other was carrying someone else's child… He could get through this! He was Sonic the Hedgehog after all! The most carefree person in the world; not bound my anything…

Right?

They both left the room and headed out of Rouge's house. However, they had forgotten one thing. "Ah, guys? You still there?" Tails' voice called out from the phone. "Why does everyone always forget about me?"

**I would like to thank Sonadowlover121 for giving me an idea at the beginning of the story to help me with my writers block!**

**Oh and see that box down there?**

**Sonic: What box would that be, Silver?**

**Oh, you know that box that I try to get people to write in after every chapter. The one that I just want people to write in after I've spent over four hours for a chapter that's FOR MY READERS.**

**Shadow: You mean that white box that most people ignore?**

**That exact one that I cry every time I look at since 80% of my readers ignore it…**

**PLEASE, READ AND REVIEW in that awesome sauce box below or I will be very sad!**

**Silver: Yes readers, she will be very sad. I see it all the time. You really need to review. :)**


	8. A Mother's Love

**Even though ****jigokuwa probably isn't reading this, I would like to dedicate this chapter to her and her friend who died of ****leukemia on November 26****th****. May this loyal Sonadow fangirl rest in peace.**

Sonic and Shadow walked in complete silence back to the ebony hedgehog's apartment. Along the way, Sonic shot glances at Shadow's flat stomach as if expecting it to suddenly expand dramatically for the unborn child that Sonic now knew was in there. _How did this happen?_ Sonic thought to himself and nervously twitched. _Shadow is a guy, right?_

Shadow glanced over at Sonic, worried about the sudden silence that was now occurring between the two of them. With all his experience with blue speed demon, Shadow had not once heard silence from the normally overly talkative hedgehog. Now it was Shadow's turn to nervously twitch. He saw the glances that Sonic was giving his stomach and, despite what Sonic had said before, was worried that the cobalt hedgehog thought of him as a freak.

"So… ahhh," Shadows' ears swiveled around to catch the soft muttering coming out of Sonic's mouth. Sonic nervously played with his fingers, for once, unable to form words into his mouth. His mouth felt like sandpaper and an uncharacteristic lump had formed in his throat. Sonic had never felt so nervous before; when did it suddenly get so hard to talk to Shadow? If there was ever a person in the world who didn't care about how he acted or said, it was Shadow… So, why? Why couldn't he just talk like he normally did with the ebony male?

Shadow blinked in surprise as he actually started to see sweat form on Sonic's brow. The cobalt hedgehog was acting so bizarre right now that Shadow didn't know what to say or even if he _should_ say anything to calm the other down. He sighed, "Just calm down, Sonic and tell me what you want to say."

Sonic wasn't sure why, but Shadow's soft voice seemed to calm him down a bit. He bit his lip and let out a deep breath. "So, ahhh, how did this happen?"

Shadow blinked, "You mean me getting pregnant? Sex, I believe, would be the most logical explanation."

Despite the situation, Sonic had to let out a small laugh at Shadow's answer. "No, I mean, how did _you_ get pregnant? Last I remember you were a guy, right?" A sly smile formed on Sonic's face, "Or should I check and see for myself?"

Shadow turned away to hide the blush that had taken over his face. He didn't want Sonic to know that he actually _wanted_ the other to do just that. Shadow mentally slapped himself. This was _Sonic_, the world's biggest jokester, the cobalt hedgehog was probably pulling his leg like he always did.

"You better keep your hands to yourself, hedgehog." Sonic kept the smile on his face so Shadow wouldn't see the sudden hurt he had felt from that remark. He knew that Shadow was just being, well, Shadow, but Sonic couldn't help but hope that the ebony male would someday return his affections.

Sonic held up his hands in mock defeat. "Okay, okay. I'll kept them to myself, but," Another sly smile formed on Sonic's face. "These things tend to get frisky sometimes, I can't control them very well when they do." Just to prove his point, Sonic wrapped his arms around Shadow's waist, causing them to stop in midstride.

Shadows' eyes widened; his and Sonic's faces were mere inches from each-others. Shadow could actually feel the cobalt hedgehog's breath on his face. _I think I'm going to be sick_, Shadow thought to himself. Then, without warning, Shadow's stomach did several flips. _I really am going to be sick!_

Sonic watched as the ebony hedgehog's face went from shocked to sick in seconds flat. Sonics' ears drooped slightly in sadness; _did Shadow really hate him that much that he would get sick just from just his touch? _"Are you okay, Shadow? You look kind of green." His question was answered as Shadow pushed him away and ran over to the bushes lining the sidewalk.

Sonic stumbled a couple feet back to regain his balance and winced as he heard and saw Shadow retching into one of the bushes. He slowly walked over and started to slowly rub the ebony hedgehog's back in comfort. "You alright, Shads?"

Shadow coughed one more time to get the rest of the bile out of his mouth and started to rub his stomach in an attempt to calm it down. "Yeah… just some morning sickness." He wasn't about to admit it, but when Sonic had started to rub his back his nausea almost immediately disappeared.

Sonic felt a small bit of warmth enter his chest as Shadow said that he was sick because of morning sickness and not because of himself. He knelt down on the ground next to Shadow, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Shadow blushed. "Just don't stop rubbing my back…" He whispered. Okay, so maybe he would admit he liked it if it meant Sonic would continue with the back rub.

Sonic smiled and hummed. "I have a better idea." Without warning, Sonic picked up Shadow, bridal style, and started carrying the ebony male back to his house.

Shadow held in a yelp when Sonic suddenly picked him up and almost immediately started to struggle in the other's grasp. "Sonic! Put me down _now_!" The ebony hedgehog growled and silently cursed the deep red blush traveling across his muzzle. Butterflies were frantically flying in his stomach, but not in a way that would make him sick and Shadow suddenly found himself having a hard time breathing. The ebony hedgehog was silently praying to himself that Sonic wouldn't hear the rapid beating of his heart inside his chest even though it felt like it would fly out of his chest at any moment.

Sonic sighed and was about to comply with Shadow's request when he looked down and caught the bright red blush on Shadow's muzzle. He smiled and tightened his grip on the other and started to jog down the street, ignoring the stares they were getting. Sonic understood the confused stares they were getting; who wouldn't stare if the biggest hero on the planet was carrying his biggest rival bridal style?

Sonic felt Shadow's struggling turn up a notch and he had to tighten his grip even more so Shadow wouldn't fall out of his arms… and Sonic didn't even want to _think_ what would happen he dropped Shadow right now… "Calm down, Shads and just enjoy the ride," Sonic said and waited for the other to reply.

"And _how_ can I enjoy this?" Shadow asked back, but stopped his struggling in the cobalt hedgehogs' arms.

"Just imagine I'm the guy who knocked you up," Sonic smirked, but secretly felt sadness seep into his chest. This would probably be the closest he would ever get to Shadow.

"I don't have to imagine," Shadow muttered under his breath.

Sonics' ears twitched as they tried to catch Shadows' words. "What was that?" Sonic asked and looked down at the hedgehog resting in his arms. They were almost to Shadow's apartment, so the cobalt hedgehog slowed down just a bit so he could carry the ebony hedgehog just a while longer.

Shadow shook his head and looked away. "Nothing."

Sonic blinked, confused as to what Shadow had said. He could have sworn he had heard Shadow say that he didn't have to imagine being carried by the person who had gotten him pregnant. That couldn't have been right… or could it? There was something he would have to check out at his own home after Shadow had gotten everything he would need from his apartment.

They finally made it to Shadow's apartment building and Sonic placed Shadow down at the front entrance. They walked through the automatic doors together and the lady at the front deck waved at them as they walked by. Sonic gave her a thumbs up while Shadow just kept on walking. The ebony hedgehog led them to the elevator doors and pressed the button to go up. Shadow walked inside first with Sonic close behind him and they soon were traveling upward.

Sonic jogged out the doors of the elevator as soon as they opened and was over at Shadow's front door in a flash. He stood in front of it and stared at the mat at the entrance. "Ahhh, the best place I've slept in a long time," Sonic joked and got out of the way when Shadow got there. "You should sell tickets for this five star sleeping place, Shadow."

The ebony hedgehog opened the door and walked inside. "I wasn't the one who forced you to sleep out there, Sonic. You could have easily left and come back before I left my apartment again." The cobalt hedgehog passed him through the door and walked over to check out Shadow's living room.

"But where's the fun in that? I wouldn't have an aching back to complain to you about." To prove his point, Sonic hunched over and groaned as he rubbed his back with his hands. "Oh, Shadow! I think I see the light! Quick! Take me to a chiropractor." Silently laughing to himself, Sonic took a look around the room and sighed, all his former joking self gone. "I forgot how dull this place was; it totally ruined the moment. However, at least you won't have to live here for the next couple of months." Sonic turned to his companion, "Get whatever you'll need and I'll carry it back to my house for you."

Shadow nodded and went to work on grabbing the things he would need. "Fine, but I'll be the one carrying it back. I can handle carrying a couple things on my own, I won't break." Sonic shook his head, but let Shadow do as he pleased. Shadow was just as stubborn as he was when he wanted to be and there wasn't any point in arguing with him.

Shadow had soon gathered everything he would need and a medium sized backpack was strapped to his back. He turned to the living room to find Sonic laying on his couch. "Let's get going, Sonic."

The cobalt opened his eyes and stretched. "Sorry, it looks like I dozed off on your couch, Shads." He stood up and yawned. "It might look dull, but man is it soft and cozy," Sonic commented and looked at the green couch. "Why did you pick the color green, anyways? It looks really out of place here."

Shadow shrugged, "It doesn't matter."

Sonic softly smiled; if only Shadow would open up to him a bit more…

*Ombra d'amore*

On the way back to Sonic's house, both of the hedgehog remained in silence. However, it was a comfortable one. The silence meant different things to the both of them. To Shadow, the heavy silence was like a wall that was helping him keep afloat and that Sonic was there for him whenever and however he would need it. To Sonic, it just meant that Shadow and him were finally getting closer to each other.

Sonic opened his front door and yelped to find that he had a visitor inside his house. It wasn't the surprise of finding a visitor, but who it was that was sitting silently in his living room. "Mom?! What are you doing here?"

Queen Aleena opened her eyes and locked onto Sonic's own emerald ones. She calmly got up from her seat on Sonic's couch and dusted herself off. "Sonic, I have been thinking on your words that you had said to me the last we had spoken… and I demand an explanation." Her eyes never lost focus on Sonic's form; she didn't so much as glance at the ebony hedgehog behind her son.

Sonic walked inside his house and crossed him arms across his chest. "I already told you, Mom. I am in love with someone else; give the throne to Sonia. She's more cut out to be ruler than I would ever be. Manic, Sonia and I are triplets, Mom; we were born within minutes of each other. It shouldn't matter which one of us was born first."

Queen Aleena narrowed her eyes, "It is tradition, Sonic. The first born, no matter the time difference, has always taken the throne and I expect you to do the same." Her eyes flickered to Shadow for a brief moment, but her eyes looked disinterested. "As for your so called _love,_" the word 'love' sounded out of her mouth like she had said it was something vile or foul, "it's just a phase you're going through right now. You'll grow out of it, especially since this person is of the male gender."

Sonic muzzle took on an angry blush, but he kept himself under control. "What do you mean 'it's just a phase'?" Sonic grit his teeth in anger. Shadow continued to watch silently from the sidelines, not sure what to do besides stand there quietly and watch the events play out before him.

The magenta queen huffed, "Exactly what I meant. Love isn't real; it's something that people made up a long time ago that was meant for fairy tales and dreams. What you're feeling isn't real; it's a figment of your imagination looking for something to take comfort in."

Sonic was now shaking with anger; his fists were clenched at his sides and his knuckles had turned white from the tension. "Is this the reason why Dad left us? Because you didn't feel anything for him? If so… what are _we_ to you? Are Sonia, Manic and I just the Royal Triplets to you? Are we _nothing_?"

"Your father left because he was selfish. He was put into an arranged marriage and left because he wanted nothing to do with us anymore," Queen Aleena said with only slight disgust on her face; as if she rarely cared about what had happened to her husband and father of her three children. "As for you three, you are my children and I expect you to act like it." Her eyes bore into Sonics'.

For a couple moments, nothing happened as Sonic and his mother stared each other down. The room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop and the tension so thick that you could cut it with a butter knife.

Shadow, meanwhile, felt like he was watching a tennis match. His ruby eyes flicked from one figure to the other, waiting for either Sonic or his mother to make a move against each other. However, neither one of them moved a muscle; a personal fight going on between the two of them.

Not taking her eyes off her eldest son, Queen Aleena asked Sonic one small question. "Who is he, Sonic?"

Sonic decided his best course of action would be to play dumb. "Who is he? You mean Shadow? I thought you met him before."

Queen Aleena would have growled at her son if it wasn't for the royal family training that had been engraved into her at a young age. "You know who I mean, Sonic. Don't play dumb. Who is the one that you've fallen in _love_," again, she said the word as if she had instead said the word vomit, "with? Who is the one that your so called _heart_ craves after?"

"That is of no concern to you, _Mother_," Sonic said the word 'mother' as if it held no meaning whatsoever to him at the time.

A small angry blush formed on Queen Aleena's muzzle. "Tell me, Sonic!" Her former calm behaviors were completely gone from Queen Aleena's form; her anger finally taking her over. "I am your _Mother_, you will listen to me!"

"Being a _Mother_ hasn't ever interested you before, why start demanding it now?!" Sonic yelled right back.

As they continued to argue, Shadow stood there, too shocked to move. He had never seen Sonic like this. The other hedgehog had been so carefree and happy go lucky that Shadow would have never imagined his family might be just as messed up as his was… Well, maybe not _as_ messed up as his family considering Eggman was his beloved Maria's cousin and a homicidal floating space alien was his father…

"Shadow!"

Said hedgehog was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts as Sonic screamed out his name. Shadow looked up and was surprised to find that the cobalt hedgehog wasn't even looking at him and Sonic's mother was looking at him right now as if he had grown a second head.

"It's Shadow," Sonic whispered out, "he's the one who I'm in love with." Shadows' eyes widened in surprise and he felt like his heart had just skipped a beat. Was this true? Was Sonic truly in love with him? He was soon answered as Sonic turned and looked him in the eyes. "I love you Shadow," he then looked down at the floor and shifted his feet nervously. "I know you're probably in love with someone else since you're pregnant with their child, but… can we still at least be friends even though I'm in love with you?"

Against his will, Shadow grabbed one of Sonic's hands and tightly held it. "Being friends won't be possible because," Shadow had to swallow a lump in his throat and continued. "It won't be possible because you're the one I'm in love with."

A noise of disgust sounded from Queen Aleena's form, but the two male hedgehogs ignored her. The brightest smile he had ever seen formed on Sonic's face and Shadow felt like his knees were about to give out from under him. "You love me?" Shadow blushed and nodded. "But the kid? Who is its?"

Shadow nervously chuckled and scratched the top of his head. "Well… the day you took me to the meadow and then the bar… you kind of got too drunk and we, ah."

Shadow didn't have to say anymore as Sonic suddenly pulled him into a hug and nuzzled into his neck. "It's mine," he whispered. "It's mine," this time, with a little more enthusiasm. A small smile formed on Shadow's muzzle as well and he returned the hug.

Then, without another word, Queen Aleena left the two of them alone with each other and slammed the front door behind her. However, Sonic and Shadow paid her no mind, finding themselves far too content in each other's arms.

**Shadow: FINALLY! It only took you EIGHT CHAPTERS to finally get Sonic and I together!**

** Sonic: Yeah!**

** Shadow: And you made Sonic's mom a bitch as well.**

** Sonic: Yeah!**

** Shadow: And Sonic is just going to agree with everything I say.**

** Sonic: Yeah! Ah, wait… Damn it, Shadow!**

** Anyways…**

** Sonic: Anyways isn't a word!**

** Shut up! I don't care! *Ahem* PLEASE REVIEW AS ALWAYS EVERYONE! All reviews are welcomed and each one is loved. (Yes, including you guests.) So, again, PLEASE REVIEW IN THE WHITE BOX BELOW! ^^**


	9. The Tip of the Iceberg

**Brofist to the reviewer who got my Pewdiepie joke at the end of the last chapter! I honestly didn't think anyone would get it. :3**

Shadow sighed in content as he snuggled into his warm comforter and massaged the small bump that had risen on his stomach. It had been four months since Sonic and himself had confessed to each other and the ebony hedgehog couldn't be happier.

Okay… so Sonic's over protective attitude got on his nerves sometimes, but those actions only seemed to prove the love that the cobalt hedgehog felt for him. Over the last few months, Shadow couldn't help but worry that Sonic would go back to that damn squirrel, Sally. Even after Sonic and him had a rather large argument about this certain worry, in which Sonic had stopped by starting a heated make out session with him, those suspicions didn't disappear completely.

His reasoning behind these suspicions… Sonic had been with that squirrel for so long and was willing to do anything for her for so long… those kinds of feelings just didn't disappear so suddenly like they did. It was only the day before 'The Incident' that the cobalt hedgehog was making out with her in the corner of the night club.

The bed suddenly dipped and creaked as weight was added to it and warm, furry arms wrapped around him. Shadow smiled; speak of the devil, he thought. He opened his ruby eyes and met loving emerald ones. "Morning, Shadow!" Sonic exclaimed and the ebony hedgehog mentally sighed at how the cobalt hedgehog could be his normal hyper self so early in the morning. "Anything in particular that you would like for breakfast?"

As he said before, there were quite a few perks to this. Sonic might have be way too over protective at times, but that fact was quickly pushed aside as Sonic started to do anything and everything that he would need. If he got hungry, Sonic brought him a feast; if he got sleepy, Sonic gave him a shoulder to rest his head on; if he got horny… Let's just leave it at that.

Shadow hummed and shook his head. "I'm not hungry," he answered and closed his eyes.

Sonic's hand joined his hand on the bump on his stomach and Shadow moved his hand out of the way. The ebony hedgehog purred in content as Sonic worked his hand like magic over his bump and he, unconsciously, moved closer to the cobalt hedgehog to get more of the pleasure he was feeling.

"I can't wait until the baby is here, Shadow," Sonic whispered into his ear.

The pregnant hedgehog chuckled and opened his eyes. "I can't wait until the parasite gets out of me either."

Sonic gave him the stink eye and stopped rubbing Shadow's pregnant belly. "The baby isn't a parasite, Shadow."

Shadow raised an eye ridge and got a sudden idea. "Is it living inside me?"

"Yes?" Sonic replied; confused as to where this was going.

"Is it eating the food I eat?"

"Yes?"

"Does it need me to survive?" Shadow was thoroughly enjoying himself at the moment tormenting the poor cobalt hedgehog.

"Yes? Where is this going, Shadow?" Sonic was trying not to let the ebony hedgehog get on his nerves, but he was really pushing his buttons at the moment.

Shadow's smile got even larger; knowing that he had just won the argument and Sonic didn't even know it. "I just gave you the definition of a parasite and you agreed to everything I just said. You think the baby is a parasite as well."

Sonic continued to glare at him and Shadow laughed at his lover's expense. As soon as he was done, Shadow sat up only to have Sonic pin him back down on the bed. The cobalt hedgehog smirked at his trapped boyfriend and Shadow raised an eye ridge.

"What are you-" Shadow was suddenly cut off by pair of lips. Sonic licked his own, asking for entrance and Shadow complied by opening them just enough for Sonic to get through. The cobalt hedgehog took his chance and his tongue entered Shadow's mouth. Just like everything else the two of them did, it turned into a battle of tongues. However, neither one was willing to give up any ground and they were forced to break apart to breath.

Sonic pulled away and Shadow couldn't help but feel that the cobalt hedgehog's emerald eyes were calculating something and waiting for a good moment to ask. Shadow furrowed his eyes and Sonic rolled off him. They both sat up and Sonic continued to stare at him.

Shadow sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. "What is it, Sonic?"

A couple moments of silence then, "Are you happy, Shadow?"

Shadow froze and his eyes widened. He took his hand away from his face and stared at Sonic in pure shock. Where the _hell_ did _that_ come from? Of course he was happy! Why would that thought even cross Sonic's mind that he wasn't?

However, by the time Shadow got over his shock of Sonics' words, he was too late to answer. A large crash came from Sonic's front door and the sound of large and heavy foot falls entered the cobalt hedgehog's living room. Sonics' ears perked and he jumped off the bed. He dashed to the door of their bedroom and looked down the stairs at the intruders.

"There's the Prince!" Shadow heard a deep voice from downstairs boom out, "Capture him, but make sure not to hurt him! The Queen doesn't care about the other one!"

The Queen? Sonic's mother? Shadow visibly paled at the thought. Sonic and him had thought his mother would leave them alone after their confession four months ago and the fact she hadn't done anything since then only strengthened their hopes of her never coming back. Yeah, hopes; I guess that's all it was.

Shadow was pulled out of his thoughts when the commotion downstairs escalated and a loud yelp echoed through the house. A yelp that had become very familiar to him with all the fights the two of them had gotten into the past few years.

Shadow growled; pregnant or not, he would help Sonic out of this and kick those bastards out of the cobalt hedgehog's house. Besides… he was only four months along, he could still fight… Right? Shaking his head clear of these thoughts, Shadow ran to the entrance of the room and looked down at what was happening in the living room.

He wasn't sure how, but the large goons that took up every space in the living room somehow had gotten Sonic trapped in this large, capsule, type, thing. Shadows' eyes widened; it might have something to do with one of the goons holding a bazooka right at the bedroom door… right where he was standing now.

Shadow caught Sonic's eye, "Run, Shadow!" He shouted and Shadow _really_ wished he could smack the cobalt hedgehog since the rest of the goons seemed to finally notice his presence from Sonic's sudden shout.

The goons pulled out their guns and Shadow watched as red dots danced across his form. He smirked; nothing he couldn't handle with a little Chaos Control and a few Chaos Spears. Shadow drew energy from the Chaos Emerald hidden in his back quills and got ready to Chaos Control behind the massive goons.

"Run, Shadow! Don't worry about me and go!" Sonic shouted again and started to kick the large container he was trapped in.

"Shut up, you idiot," Shadow growled under his breath and Chaos Controlled. Only… he didn't. He looked around in confusion as he saw he was that he was standing in the. exact. same. place. as. before. Damn pregnancy had to not only mess with his emotions and body weight, but now he couldn't even Chaos Control because of it!

Shadow shrugged off his anger and dodged a bullet by one of the goons and promptly ignored the shout of protest and anger from Sonic. Maybe he would be able to use his Chaos Spears since it took a lot less energy to create a couple of those than a Chaos Control would.

He gathered energy in his right hand, "Chaos Spe-"Sudden, excruciating pain traveled up his body and Shadow clutched his stomach and fell to his knees. What was going on? He clenched his teeth and heard his Chaos Emerald tumble down the wooden staircase.

One of the goons picked it up and grinned at him in triumph. The edges of Shadows' eyes started to blacken and dizziness and a feeling as if he was floating entered his mind.

Seeing their chance, several goons ran up the stairs and the person who Shadow made out to be the leader of the group, stood in front of him. "Say your prayers, you little freak of nature," the leader growled and lifted his foot. Shadow unconsciously tightened his grip on the bump on his stomach, further protecting the growing life within, and grunted in pain when the goon brought down his foot, smashing the top of his head.

Shadow, since he wasn't a normal Mobian, wasn't completely knocked out by the first blow and, for the very first time, Shadow had wished he was one since the goon continued to repeatedly kick him.

"Stop! Please, stop!" Shadow could easily hear the fear and desperation in Sonic's voice at the beating he was receiving. The ebony hedgehog could feel warm blood run down his head at a rapid pace and Shadow sighed in happiness as the goon seemed to be too preoccupied with smashing his face in to even think about kicking his stomach and easily killing the pup he was carrying.

Shadow felt his eye sight darken dramatically and he knew that he was going to pass out soon. Good… maybe the goon would stop once he was knocked out… Then… he saw nothing…

*Ombra d'amore*

Shadow groaned; his head felt like he had one too many drinks last night but… that wasn't right, he wasn't affected by the effects of alcohol. And… he felt completely empty. Well, not completely since his stomach felt like it was about to explode. The empty feeling was probably from him misusing his chaos energy before and now he was converting all of his remaining energy to the pup growing in his stomach.

However, he couldn't worry about that right now; he had to figure out where the hell those goons had taken him since whatever he was lying on _definitely _didn't feel like where he had passed out. Shadow cracked open his eyes only to find that he couldn't open them. Shadow sighed; the injuries to his face were more severe than he thought they were since his face was mostly likely swollen from the beating it took before.

Shadow brought his hands to his face and frowned. His face wasn't swollen, just full of dried blood that had acted like plaster and kept him from opening his eyes. Shadow fiercely used the palms of his hands to rub the dried blood off his face. Flakes of red fell off of him in layers and Shadow growled and swore under his breath that he would make those goons pay dearly for this.

Once he was sure that he gotten all of it off, Shadow opened his eyes and took a look around at his surroundings. He was sitting on an old mattress on the ground and a three legged chair stood across the room. If you wanted to call what he was in a room; it was more like a dungeon.

Water dripped from somewhere unknown and hard, black cement layered the floor. The ceiling was barely even seven feet tall and Shadow growled when he noticed that thick metal bars kept him from the only exit to this place. Not to mention a lone bucket sat in the corner of the room and Shadow _refused_ to use that thing in _any_ way.

Apparently, when Queen Aleena put her mind to something, she thought everything through. Shadow looked up and narrowed his eyes at a blinking red light in the corner of the room. A video camera… she was watching him.

Shadow clenched his fists in anger and he glared at the hidden camera. "I know you're watching me! Come down here and tell me what the hell you're doing!" Shadow paced back and forth, waiting for a response from the magenta hedgehog and growled when no one came after twenty minutes.

In blind fury, Shadow picked up the three legged chair and threw it at the camera. All that seemed to do, however, was smash his one good chair into hundreds of pieces on the floor. He loudly swore at no one in particular and forced himself to calm down. Shadow rubbed his temples as a headache started to form behind his eyes. Man… did he have bad mood swings…

Shadow looked back at the hidden camera; well… if no one was willing to come down and talk to him, he would have to come to them. He walked over to the metal bars and felt each one for any kind of weakness. On the last bar on the left, Shadow stuck some luck and found that it was smaller than the others and the one next to it was a little loose.

He placed a hand on each bar and attempted to pull them to the side and to create a hole big enough for him to fit through. Shadow silently thanked his dead friend, Maria, that Queen Aleena had chosen to kidnap him while he was still thin enough to be able to fit through these bars.

However, that was about all his luck was going to give him as heavy sets of footsteps echoed through the once empty hallway and the obvious sound of a single person wearing high heels grew louder each second. Shadow backed away from the bars so they wouldn't see the faulty ones he was just pulling on before and silently waited for his kidnappers to arrive.

He didn't have to wait long, though, as Queen Aleena and several of the goons from before arrived at the opposite side of the bars of his jail cell, including the one who decided to mistake his head for a soccer ball. Shadow repressed at growl as the lead thug smiled at him through the bars, as if silently mocking him at his win. If only he wasn't pregnant that goon would have been dead within seconds of breaking into Sonic's house.

Speaking of Sonic, where was he? He obviously wasn't in any of these jail cells since the cobalt hedgehog would have heard him long ago with all his swearing, yelling and breaking things…

He _really_ needed to keep his mood swings under control.

"Hello, Shadow. I hope you're enjoying your stay at my castle," Queen Aleena said in an overly sweet voice layered with sugar. "You've meet my friends haven't you?" She pointed to the goons behind her, "They've been assigned to keep watch over you while you stay here, so don't do anything bad." A dark twinkle entered her calculating eyes, "Because we'll be watching you."

Shadow narrowed his eyes; he couldn't believe _this_ person was Sonic's mother. This cold, calculating bitch was the mother of the carefree and heroic Sonic the Hedgehog. It just didn't seem right. It didn't seem fair.

Shadow mentally sighed; who was he to talk about things being fair? His best friend was murdered in front of him for just being, well, his best friend and his father was a homicidal maniac of an unknown alien race that had been bent on destroying the human race.

He looked back up and glared into the magenta hedgehogs' eyes. "Stop with the sweet talk and get to the point already; I'm quickly losing my patience," Shadow all but growled at the Queen.

Queen Aleena narrowed her own eyes and glared at him. "Absolutely no class whatsoever. I can't believe my son would fall for someone like you." She then looked down and studied her finger nails as if they were more interesting to look at than he was. "Of course, with someone of your history, tricking someone as naïve as my son into loving you must have been a piece of cake."

Shadow growled and clenched his hands into fists to prevent himself from pushing his arms outside the bars and wringing the cold bitch's neck. He knew that she deserved whatever punishment came her way, but this person was still Sonic's mother and the Queen, it wouldn't be good for either him or the baby to act irrationally right now.

"What do you mean, 'tricking Sonic into loving me'?" He asked and watched as the bitch finally looked up from her nails and gave him a smile of triumph as she saw him trying to contain his anger.

"Exactly what I mean. You tricked my son into having sex with you by getting him drunk and making yourself pregnant with his child. This made my Sonic feel obligated to help you through this problem and offered you his help." She looked directly into his eyes, "But I know what this is really about even if Sonic can't see it. By making yourself pregnant and, with Sonic being the heir to the throne, you would become part of the royal family. Once the child is born, all you would have to do is kill Sonic and you would become the new ruler."

Shadows' eyes widened, "Lies!" He screamed. "All lies!"

Queen Aleena gave him a cruel and knowing smile. "I know they are all lies; my son really does love you, but… who do you think the people and jury will believe? A four month pregnant hedgehog that has a history of killing and trying to destroy the planet or the Queen?" She dusted off her dress and turned away and motioned for her goons to follow her out of the jail. However, before she reached the end of his cell, she turned back to him. "By the way, your trial is in one week's time. Have fun with your last days of life, Shadow."

**Wow… I've done it… I've really done it… I've turned the sweet and caring Queen Aleena from Sonic Underground into a cruel bitch… **

**Anyways…**

**Sonic: Anyways isn't a word!**

**Yes! I know! I got that the first dozen times you told me before!**

**Sonic: *Puppy dog eyes* I was only trying to help…**

…**Awwww! Please don't cry, Sonic! *Hugs him***

**Shadow: Well… while those two are busy, I'll do the saying Silver does at the end of every chapter. READ AND REVIEW PLEASE. *Sexy smile* *Wink***


	10. Guilty Until Proven Guilty

_Queen Aleena gave him a cruel and knowing smile. "I know they are all lies; my son really does love you, but… who do you think the people and jury will believe? A four month pregnant hedgehog that has a history of killing and trying to destroy the planet or the Queen?" She dusted off her dress and turned away and motioned for her goons to follow her out of the jail. However, before she reached the end of his cell, she turned back to him. "By the way, your trial is in one week's time. Have fun with your last days of life, Shadow."_

Shadow didn't even register that the cruel Queen had even left. His tight grip on the jail house bars turned his knuckles white with tension and his eyes just stared through the bars. Dull, lifeless; as if the once scorching blaze that raged in them once before had been extinguished by the cold bucket of water the magenta female had unmercifully dumped on him.

He blinked once, gaining a little more composure, and forced himself to relinquish his death grip on the metal bars. Shadow walked over to the other side of his jail cell like a zombie and slid his back down on the wall and sat on the dirty and moist ground.

One week before the trial? _His_ trial? Uncertain emotions twirled and gripped his senses; too strong and far too many of them for his hormonal body to take at the moment.

Shadow slowly brought his knees as close to his chest as possible because of his enlarged, pregnant stomach and wound his arms around his legs to keep them in place. Shadow held in a sob and buried his head into the hiding spot he had created. It was childish to think that he could hide himself from the cruel eyes of Sonic's mother and the uncaring ones of her goons by burying his head into his legs, but it was the only comfort he had at the moment.

Normally he would _never_ act this way. Vulnerable. Defenseless. Weak. However, his situation was _far_ from being normal. From a guy being able to get pregnant, to the child's father being a prince and a homicidal mother; this situation certainly _wasn't_ normal even if you squinted, turned your head and sung the 'ABC's.

After what felt like days, but were probably only hours, Shadow's stomach let out a painful growl, demanding to be fed. He finally lifted his head, his eyes like weak embers of a dying fire, and Shadow shifted them to the blinking camera in the corner of his cell. "Do you guys feed your prisoners or do you let them starve?" Shadow asked; his voice monotone, not really believing his would get any answers.

Slightly surprised, Shadow was answered about ten minutes later when his sensitive ears caught the sound of two pairs of footsteps. Shadow watched as two guards came to the metal bars of his jail cell's door; one carrying a tray of food, the other holding a very lethal looking gun.

"Stay where you are, hedgehog, and I won't blast your head off," the guard with the gun grunted at him and pulled out a ring of bronze and silver keys.

Shadow wasn't stupid; he had no chance whatsoever of grabbing the keys. By the time he got off of the ground and rushed to the bars he, most likely, would have already been shot… Not to mention the added weight of the baby certainly wouldn't have helped him in any way and he also was quite hungry.

So Shadow stayed exactly where he was, not even moving a muscle in fear of losing the one meal he might ever get here. Shadow stopped a wince; he was acting like some goddamn pet!

Silently fuming, Shadow slowly counted to one hundred to calm himself and watched as the guards opened the door and entered his jail cell. The one with the food, cream of mushroom soup with a hard looking piece of bread and a glass of water, set it on his second-hand bed.

They were about to leave when a sudden buzz came from the gun-carrying guard's pocket. Giving each other annoyed looks; he pulled out the object making the noise, a small black walkie talkie, and pressed the side button.

"Get back up here you two," a snappy high pitched female voice screeched from the device. "Blue is acting up again and we need your help in holding him down again. He can be quite slippery for a hedgehog," the voice said and cut off. The two guards signed in unison and gave each other half lidded looks.

"I say they should just sedate him or place him back in that holding capsule he was in before. He's too much work to keep in check all the time, but that's never going to happen since he's the crown prince," the food guard commented and crossed his arms across his chest.

The two guards obviously didn't consider Shadow a threat anymore since they both stood comfortably inside the cell, the door wide open. Not to mention that when the guard with the gun put away his walkie talkie, he also put away his weapon.

As if Shadow thought the two guards couldn't get any more stupid, the guard who had brought in his food in reached out and attempted to eat his piece of bread. Shadow couldn't stop the deep throated growl that ripped out of his windpipe and the guard reaching for his food tore his hand away as if it would start on fire as soon as he touched it.

The two guards looked at him in surprise, as if they had forgotten he was even there, and narrowed their eyes. Shadow froze under their glares, not even daring to breath. Getting his food was the very least of his worries at the moment. No; he was far too worried about the bloodlust raging through the guards' eyes while they glared at him.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they looked away, all the bloodlust draining out of their eyes. The guard with the gun pulled out his brass key ring again and turned to his companion. "Come on; we better go before she decides of put us on the bathroom duty for being late."

The other guard grunted in agreement and, after making sure that the door was locked up tight, they left Shadow to his own devices. He waited until his ears could no longer hear their heavy footsteps and irritated blabber before standing up. Shadow wandered over to his bed and silently started to eat the provided food. Even though the bread was stale and hard, the soup obviously being watered down beforehand, Shadow deemed the food edible and un-drugged.

Once he was finished, Shadow placed the now empty tray on the ground beside his bed and laid back. He placed one of his hands on his stomach, something that he found that he did unconsciously, and stared up at the moist ceiling of his jail cell.

The female voice from the walkie talkie episode had obviously been talking about Sonic. Despite not knowing where Shadow was and with the odds stacked against them, Sonic was still not giving up. This was either a rather stupid move being made by the cobalt hedgehog or one that took a lot of guts… Shadow was leaning towards the first.

Whether Sonic knew that Shadow was about to go to trial for false accusations by his mother or not, he did not know, but one thing was for sure.

Sonic had not given up… So why had he?

Shadow sighed in frustration and closed his eyes. His free hand found its way to his face and he started to massage it to relieve some of the tension. His life couldn't ever be easy and peaceful could it? He guessed someone with the title 'Ultimate Life Form' wasn't allowed to have a normal family… Again with the word normal; such a term could never describe him, his life, his family or just about anything about him.

Shadow would never admit it, but, at times, he wished that he could just wake up one day and find that his life was just a nightmare. That he was really just a regular hedgehog that went to school and his biggest worry being that if he passed or failed his math exam that he had been far too lazy to study for.

He stopped his hand and rested it on his stomach as well. A small bit of fury found its way into Shadow's chest; he was angry, not at his captures, but at himself. These useless dreams of his only proved that he was weak. He had given up and dreaming of a 'prince charming' to come and save him… No pun intended.

He was the Ultimate Life Form for Pete's sake! He shouldn't be just lying here, expecting someone to save him! Dreamers never got anything done; only the people who took action on those dreams do!

Shadow reopened his eyes; his ruby eyes back to their former blazing glory and, maybe, even brighter than they ever were before. With his strength and determination renewed, Shadow sat up in his bed and took another look around the jail cell. At first glance, his cell looked just like any other, but Shadow could locate the places in the room that Queen Aleena had taken precautions against him.

The cell housed no windows whatsoever; so Shadow couldn't tell how long he had been there or whether it was day or night. However, his jail cell had no light fixtures; so how was their enough light in here for both him _and_ his non-enhanced visitors? A small smirk formed on his tan muzzle; the light was getting into here somehow and Shadow was prepared to find it.

Shadow got up from his bed and up to the bars of his cell. He stuck his head as far out of the bars as possible and started to look for the promising light source. He might only be getting his hopes up, it could have just a lamp or something outside his door, but it, at least, was something to play off of.

Nothing. Shadow furrowed his eyes in confusion. There was nothing on both sides of his cell but just other jail cells. He then looked up and Shadow deflated. Just out of view from inside his room, the hallway outside his jail cell had a light fixture just big enough to light his cell and the space around it.

Shadow sighed and took his head out of the bars. He looked back over to the place in the bars where he had attempted to wiggle out of before Queen Aleena had arrived and strode over to check it out again. Shadow was only able to try to loosen the bars for a couple minutes before two pairs of footsteps came running his way. He jumped away from the metal fixtures again and his eyes widened as magenta fur showed in the darkness.

Shadow folded his ears against his head, his fur stood on end and a deep throated growl started in his throat. He got into a defensive stance, waiting for the punishment he would undoubtedly receive for trying to break out of his cell.

"Shadow?" He froze; that voice was too… young, too concerned to be the sickeningly, sweet voice of Queen Aleena. Shadow almost collapsed in relief when Sonia the hedgehog and her brother, Manic, stepped out of the darkness. "Are you okay, Shadow?" Sonia asked again and gripped the bars of his cell.

He nodded and walked back over to the metal bars to talk with the siblings. He saw Manic smirk out of the corner of his eye and found the green hedgehog staring at his stomach. "Either you just went on a desert spree or mom wasn't lying about you being pregnant with my bro's kid," Manic commented and took out his drum sticks. He started to absentmindedly hit the bars of his cell with the wooden sticks, creating an echo of sounds off the jail hallway.

Sonia sighed at her brother and gave Shadow a heavily worried expression. "We don't have much time, Shadow. We need to get you out of here and well tell you the situation that our mother has created."

Shadow raised an eye ridge, "If you're talking about my trial in a week and the hundred percent chance of me dying from said trial, I already know."

The magenta hedgehog teen rapidly shook her head left to right and the strain of emotion in her voice was kicked up a notch. "No, it's much worse than that, Shadow. Much more elaborate than you know." Sonia's voice turned into a hushed tone, as if afraid that someone she didn't want to hear their conversation was nearby. "What do you think she's been doing the last four months? Building a jail to house you and how to capture you and Sonic from his house? No… she was planning many more things than just those."

Shadow's blood ran cold. Sonia was right, Queen Aleena could have been doing anything the last four months. It was definitely a lot of time for someone as calculating and privileged as the Queen Aleena to have for getting her revenge against him and turning the problem in front of her into something that could help her in the long run.

Shadows' ruby eyes hardened, "Okay, get me out of here." Sonia nodded and motioned for her brother to open the door to his cell. Manic grinned and twirled his drum sticks around in his hands. He tossed the sticks into the front pocket of his jacket and took out two small tools and started working away at the lock on Shadow's door.

"Come on, hurry up, Manic," Sonia said in the same hushed voice as before as she looked from left to right down each hallway looking for any guards.

"I know, I know. Don't rush me, Sis," Manic said and continued working at the lock. "Man, mom didn't go to any stops for you, Shads. This must be one of the hardest locks I've ever tried to break into." Shadow raised an eye ridge at the green hedgehog, wondering just what locks that someone like Manic would try to get into.

"Will you be able to open it?" Sonia asked, her voice rising in fear.

"Calm down, Sis. Don't think so little of my skill, I'll get your boyfriend out of here in no time, Manic replied and chuckled."

Even in the darkness, Shadow could make out the small blush that appeared on Sonia's face from Manic's accusation. "He's… Shadow isn't… What are you?... Gah!" She threw her arms in the air in frustration and Shadow thought, for a second, that the female would suddenly start kicking the living daylights out of her brother.

Just when Sonia lifted her leg to start her revenge, a click sounded and Manic grinned in triumph. He pulled open the door and motioned for Shadow to come through. "After you, Princess," Manic jeered.

Shadow crossed his arms across his chest and glared at the green prince as he walked through the doorway. "Just because I'm pregnant, doesn't mean I'm a girl," Shadow hissed back at Manic.

Manics' blue eyes lit up when the ebony hedgehog took his bait. "Oh really? Because from what I see-"

"Come on guys!" Sonia's sharp voice cut Manic off from whatever taunting the green hedgehog had come up with. "We don't have time for this! We need to get out of here before the guards figure out your out of your cell and come after us!"

Shadow and Manic share a look and nod in agreement that they would continue this later. Moments later, the three of them are dashing down the dark hallway of the jailhouse; Sonia leading with Manic at the back.

"Are you sure you should be running, Shadow? Or would you like me to carry you?" Manic taunted and Shadow sighed. Sonic's younger brother was worse than the blue blur himself.

"I can still run faster than you, hedgehog," Shadow said in a monotone voice; not really caring about the green princes' taunting any more. He just wanted to get out of there without any confrontations from Queen Aleenas' guards. Of course… fate had decided against him as he heard dozens of footfalls charging towards them. Shadow warned the two other hedgehogs of their approach and Sonia threw him a stun gun.

It looked like the royal siblings didn't want to cause any bloodshed during their escape; Shadow didn't mind as long as the three of them escaped without any serious injuries. The first of the guards came into view and Sonia jumped into the air. She landed on the first guard's head and used it as a spring board to kick the next one.

Shadow charged right through, shooting at anything that looked lethal and wishing he had the help of his famous chaos abilities. While Manic stayed almost glued to his side, punching at any of guards that Shadow either missed or hadn't bothered to hit.

Once the guards were disposed of, the three hedgehogs sprinted out of the jail and into the cool spring morning outside. Sonia grabbed Shadow's arm and guided him towards the right of the castle waiting outside. Using the darkness of the morning to their advantage, they snuck into the unused sewer pipe leading into the castle.

Sonia crutched to the ground and crawled into the still moist and grease filled pipe. Shadow went in next and scrunched up his nose in disgust as the smell of decay and old feces filled his nose… and he didn't even want to _think_ about what kind of gunk was being hit against his hands and legs as he slowly crawled through the small space.

His ears twitched as he heard Manic enter in after him and a small snicker came from the green hedgehog. "No wonder Sonic fell for ya, Shads; I love the view I'm getting from back here." Shadow stiffened and a large blush presented itself onto his muzzle. He growled and lifted his leg and kicked Manic in the face. The green hedgehog yelped from the attack and Shadow snickered when Manic started crawling again, but without the added remarks.

Minutes later, Shadow saw Sonia stand up when a hole appeared on the top of the pipe and she took off the covering. She lifted herself up so the top of her head was the only thing that appeared overhead. "The cost is clear, come on," the magenta princess said and went through the hole.

Shadow went through soon after and saw that they had ended up a large and very expensive looking shower room. Sonia helped her brother up through the hole and screwed the covering back into place. Seeing the showers, Shadow almost groaned as he felt the gunk of the pipe caked all over his body.

Manic went over to the doorway, not looking any better than himself and having a large red bruise on his face, and looked out to see if anyone was out there. "No one, we better get going before everyone starts to wake up."

They silently dashed down the perfectly polished hallways, using the shadows when they could, and made it to Sonia and Manic's destination without any confrontations. They entered the out of place room and Shadow sighed in relief when he saw a shower to the left.

Sonia came up beside him and smiled. "Well, you'll be rooming here until we can find a way to stop our mother."

Something flickered at the back of Shadow's mind and he turned to the magenta princess that looked so much like her mother. "Sonia… why exactly are you so frightened about your mother's plan? What's worse than locking me up and almost getting me killed?"

She looked away, refusing to look at him. "Because…" She said, her voice caked in sadness, "Sonic is marrying Princess Sally in two days…"

**Whoo! Another update! And this one took me less than a week! Even if you guys aren't proud, I am! **

** Sonic: What's up with you and cliffhangers?**

** I love them~ And I needed to say the last part in this chapter and since it was getting long I ended it there. ^w^**

** Shadow: I hate you.**

** Sonic: I agree! I didn't even get any screen time in this chapter!**

** You will next time~ Don't worry~**

** READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!**


	11. The Calm Before the Storm

Sonic growled at the guards running towards him. He didn't have time for this crap! He had to find Shadow before his mother did anything to him! Sonic jumped to the other side of the room, away from the sweating guards who had been chasing after him for the past two hours, and tried another spin dash at the exit.

He bounced off the door yet again and kicked the nearest guard in the face. The guard grunted in pain, cursed at him and began his charge yet again. His mothers' goons were persistent and stubborn, he would give them that, but they were going to walk out of the room full of bruises and cuts by the time he was done with them.

"Where's Shadow?!" Sonic yelled and felt his chaos energy spike at his rage. He pushed the chaos energy down deep; no matter how angry and desperate he got, Sonic _never_ wanted his dark side to come out again. Not after last time…

He shook his head; now was not the time to be thinking about that. Sonic dodged another guard as he tried to grab him and stuck his tongue out. "Catch me if you can!" Sonic dashed to the other side of the room and his emerald eyes widened when he saw a ring of keys on one of the guard's belt.

Sonic was just about to zoom across the room and snatch the keys from the lumbering guard when the door he was trying to get out of before slammed open and the last person he wanted to see entered the room.

"Enough of these childish acts, Sonic!" Queen Aleena scolded her son; looking just as elegant and calculating as ever. The guards stopped their scrambling and went to stand next to their employer.

Sonic rolled his eyes and started to tap his foot on the ground. He placed his hands on his hips, "Whatever could you mean mother? The only children here are those lumbering idiots you call bodyguards," Sonic smirked.

Queen Aleena sighed and straightened out her dress. "Alright, Sonic; all I ask is that you would act like an adult for the next few minutes so we can get down to business." Sonic narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything. The magenta hedgehog noticed this and pulled out a small piece of paper. She made her way over to her son and handed him the paper without one word.

Sonic closely watched his mother as she walked over to him and gave the small piece of paper a confused look, but took it anyway. He glanced over the paper and his eyes widened with each sentence he read. In the end, he crumpled the paper in his fist and glared at his mother. "I refuse."

"You will, Sonic," Queen Aleena sneered and straightened her back; confident that she would win the argument. "You will marry Sally in two days or I will have no choice but to put Shadow and that freak of nature child of his to death."

Sonic froze; rage enveloped him, but he didn't act on it since he would, most likely, be signing Shadow and his child's death warrant. He stared his mother down; looking for any type of weakness to play on. However, nothing was there; his mother wasn't going to back down on this decision, no matter what.

Sonic narrowed his eyes, remembering something about the last time he saw Sally. "Did Sally agree to this marriage? If I remember correctly, she was the one who kissed Shadow at the castle four months ago."

His mother didn't so much as flinch at what Sonic said. She, actually, seemed more delighted when Sonic brought up Sally. "After some convincing, and bringing up the abomination that was growing inside that freak hedgehog, she happily agreed to marry you," Queen Aleena sneered.

Sonic stiffened at his mothers' words. Well, there went his only argument he could think of. The only silver lining in this was that Shadow and his unborn child were still alive… At least, that's what his mother was telling him…

Sonic sighed; it looked like there was only one thing he could do. He slumped to the ground and folded his ears slightly in submission. "Alright… what do you want me to do?" Queen Aleena looked him over and gave him a calculating smirk.

"Come with me, Sonic," she said and led the way out of the room; followed by her dozen bodyguards.

Sonic slowly got up from the ground and followed after his devilish mother. He may have looked submissive to any person who glanced at him, but Sonic hadn't given up in any way. Actually, if anything, he had gained more of a will to fight back the lives of his newly acquired family.

He glanced up at his mother, never once lifting his head, and saw the triumphant smile on his mother's face. He would play along with his mother's games for now, but as soon as he saw a chance to save his family… he would take it. No matter what he had to do to save them… he would do it.

*Ombra d'amore*

Shadow's mind turned to white nothingness. Nothing passed through his mind; he was too shocked to comprehend anything after Sonia told him what was happening in two days.

Seeing Shadow turn pale and freeze, Sonia turned to her brother and sighed. "Well… he took it better than I thought he would. I thought he was going to faint as soon as we told him," Sonia commented and turned her attention back to Shadow.

"Ahhh, sis; I think you spoke too soon," Manic sweat dropped as he saw the ebony hedgehog start to sway back and forth.

"Catch him!" Sonia yelped and held her hands out to stop Shadow's eminent fall to the ground. Manic shrugged and, instead, picked Shadow up bridal style and made his way over to the clean bed in the room. He set Shadow down on the mattress and covered him up with the comforter.

Manic turned around and gave his sister a triumphant look. "I think that was a better idea."

Sonia sweat dropped at her brother, "Well, genus, would you mind telling me why you placed Shadow in the bed when he's still covered in grime?" Manic gave her a sheepish look and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. Sonia shook her head and opened the bathroom door. "I'm going to take a shower and, once I'm done, I'm going to leave to get food and new sheets."

Manic nodded and Sonia closed the bathroom door behind her. Used to being covered in unknown gunk, Manic shrugged and sat down in a wooden chair across the room. He took out his trusted drum sticks and started to hit the drum sticks on anything he could find within his reach.

*Ombra d'amore*

Shadow started to twitch when the sounds of two people fighting reached his ears. He cracked opened his eyes and found Sonia and Manic fighting… again.

"Come on, Sonia! He's not going to notice if I take some of his dinner! Just let me have a piece!"

"I said no! It's his food! Instead of trying to take away the food of a pregnant person, go take a shower! You smell horrid!"

"It's an extra-large pizza! I don't think even he could eat the entire thing! And should I remind you that you smelled the same as me before taking a shower, sis?"

"Just in there before you wake him up, Manic!"

Shadow sighed, rolled over and gave the green and magenta hedgehogs a half-lidded look. "Don't even bother," Shadow growled. "You guys already woke me up with your childish fight." Sonia and Manic turned to look at him and gave the ebony hedgehog sheepish looks. "And…" He sniffed the air, "Sonia is right, Manic. Go take a shower."

Manic muttered something under his breath, something that Shadow didn't want to repeat, and sat up in bed. Sonia made her way over to him and sat down on the edge of his mattress. "Are you okay, Shadow?"

He gave her a confused look, "Of course I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Sonia bit her lip and… he remembered. "Sonic is marrying Sally in two days, isn't he?" Just the mere words were like acid in his mouth.

"It's actually only one day now…" Shadow looked up and couldn't help but notice the similar appearance between Sonia and her mother. However… the two of them may look the same, but there was one large difference in their appearances. Their eyes… while Queen Aleena's stare was cold and calculating; Sonia's held kindness and sympathy… Something he hadn't once seen in Queen Aleenas' eyes.

Shadow looked away when his ears caught the sound of the shower starting and glanced down at his hands. "So… what's the plan?" He hoped Sonia had some kind of plan in place; he didn't want to blindly follow the two siblings into danger with the cold-hearted Queen.

Sonia shook her head, "All I want you to do right now is eat, shower and get back to sleep. The castle is crawling with guards since our mom is rushing the wedding preparations and the last thing we want is for her to know that you're hiding inside the castle."

Shadow nodded in agreement and wrinkled his nose in disgust when he noticed the grime from the sewer dried to his quills and fur and that he had smeared it on his bed sheets while he was sleeping. "Tell Manic to hurry up; I want to get this gunk off of me as soon as possible."

Sonia stifled a giggle behind her hand, "Finally, a guy that actually _wants_ to be clean. Manic explores sewers as a hobby and, when we were younger, it was almost _impossible_ to get Sonic to take a bath or shower."

Shadow smirked; imagining the younger aqua phobic Sonic being forced into the bathtub. His ears twitched again as the water was shut off and Manic walked out of the bathroom, without even bothering to dry off and slumped back down in his wooden chair. Manic caught his staring and smirked, "You like what you see, Shads?"

'Shads' rolled his eyes and got out of bed. Now that Manic was out of the shower, nothing was going to stop him from taking one himself. He shivered; he _still_ didn't want to know what he had picked up in his little sewer escape and stepped into the still wet shower.

*Ombra d'amore*

Sonic suppressed a growl as one of his mother's handmaidens forced yet another suit on him. From what he heard, black over powered his blue coloring; brown made him look like water in mud and, finally, they seemed to agree to him wearing a white suit. Now the three present maids were currently fighting over what colored tie he should wear.

Now would have been the perfect time to escape if it wasn't for the dozen cameras trained on his form and, despite their annoying tendencies, he really would rather not hurt the innocent maids that only wanted to help him. Even though he _really_ didn't want whatever help they were currently giving him.

Sonic sighed; it was time to calm the storm. "I think I would look better with a dark blue tie, don't you think?" He offered and almost immediately felt like he was digging his own grave. The fighting between the three maids ceased and they turned to him in amazement. They seemed to think over his opinion for a couple moments before agreeing.

The eldest of the three maids took out a dark blue tie made of pure silk and wrapped it around his neck. She blushed at being so close to Prince Sonic and said prince had to suppress an eye roll at the irony of it all. Once she was done, all three of them took a step back and admired their work.

Just when Sonic thought it couldn't get any worse, the door swung open and the second to last person he wanted to see entered the dressing room. "Hello, my husband to be," Princess Sally coolly said and made her way over to the cobalt hedgehog.

"Hello, Sally," Sonic said and didn't even try to hide the annoyance in his voice.

She narrowed her crystal blue eyes and glared at the three maids. "Leave!" She commanded and the three maids almost ran over each other to get away from the frightening squirrel. Once the audience was gone, Sally flicked her hair behind her and returned her attention to Sonic. "Is that any way to treat your fiancée?"

Sonic crossed his arms across his chest and glared at the female squirrel that he had actually loved at one point in time. If he hadn't met Shadow and seen the way Sally treated him, he probably would still be in love with her. "No matter what happens, Sally, I will _never_ consider you my wife."

Sally made a very un-lady like growl and scowled at her soon to be husband. "Well to bad, Sonic, because by this time tomorrow, we'll be married."

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the castle, Queen Aleena watched the fight going on between her son and soon to be daughter in law. It didn't matter whether either one of them loved the other as long as everything went as planned. Sally would get the power she always wanted and Sonic's freak hedgehog would live to see another day.

It was a real pity that Sonic chose Shadow as the one to fall in love with. From the few times she had met him, Queen Aleena had gathered a small soft spot for the ebony hedgehog and that was the only reason he had been given a chance to live; no matter how small of a chance it was. She didn't want to admit it, but she had seen herself in the ebony hedgehog and she would have made Shadow her daughter's husband. He would have probably been the perfect partner for her daughter if Sonic hadn't messed up.

The magenta queen focused her attention back on the arguing squirrel and hedgehog; it really was such a pity that Sonic had fallen in love with Shadow. Something beeped at her belt and Queen Aleena took out a small walkie talkie. "What is it?" She asked into the device.

"Well… you see… um…" Came the voice of her led bodyguard from the walkie talkie.

She sighed, "Just spit it out!"

Queen Aleena heard the large guard take a deep breath, "Shadow has escaped."

Her eyes widened, "He WHAT?!"

**This was a filler chapter if I ever saw one… Two updates in two days… I need some rest now… **

** PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!**


	12. Stirring the Pot

Big rolling clouds silently floated towards the castle, occasionally giving off a muffled boom of thunder, each crack growing louder the closer the dark grey mass came. The room was deadly silent except for the steady clicking of the clock above the doorway and the booming of the oncoming storm. The wind outside quickly went from the still, humid air of spring to howling hurricane pre-storm weather.

Shadow thought that just sitting in the room like he was at the moment was a thousand times worse than sitting in that stuffy jail cell. Yeah, he wasn't in an actual prison anymore, but this room was a whole different kind of one. It might have been comfier and he was free of the Queens' guard's careful watch, but he couldn't help but think that it was better not knowing what was going on outside of the jail. Just sitting here, waiting for the green and purple royal triplets to come back and tell him how Sonic's wedding to that Princess bitch, Sally was, was turning out to be absolute torture. As the saying goes, ignorance truly was a bliss.

The first rain drop hit the window the ebony hedgehog was staring out of and the rest soon followed after in rapid succession, creating a quick, drum-like sound on the see through glass. A lightning bolt flashed dangerously close and the thunder from it shook the ground under his chair. The rain had gotten so heavy that he couldn't even see the tree outside his window and Shadow allowed a slight smirk to spread across his muzzle as the thought that the wedding might be delayed by this hurricane like weather. He had seen storms like these before and they always caused great damage. There was minimal chance the royal wedding would be done on time… especially since it was to be an outdoors one.

Shadow could almost picture Sally acting like those bitches on that god awful human show called Bridezillas. Rouge had *cough* forced *cough* him one time to watch it. From that day forward, he had promised himself never to be anywhere near her with rope in a twenty meter facility. He didn't even want to know where she had learned all the different and 'fun' ways she could tie people up with that devilish invention. His body shivered unconsciously in his chair at his own line of thinking.

Another bolt of lightning flashed outside and almost immediately a rocking boom shook the castle once more. Shadow shifted his almost glowing ruby eyes in the darkened room to the door leading outside to the hallway. When Sonia and Manic had left almost two hours ago, he wished that they had left him with some kind of communication device; it was maddening to just sit here like a stay at home 'wife' and wait for her 'husband' to come 'home'.

The already cold extra-large pizza that the two triplets had brought him was still sitting untouched on the table except for the one piece that Manic had managed to snag without his sister's knowledge. At least, until Sonia saw him with it in his hands once they got out in the hallway. Shadows' lips twitched, wanting to be formed into another smirk. He was pretty sure about now that Sonia and Manic actually liked doing these little spats together. It was probably the way that the two of them said they cared for the other without out rightly saying it to one another. Shadow's mood almost immediately turned back to being impatient and, dare he admit it, sad. Those fights made him remember the ones he and Sonic used to have… Before the whole Sally business and when they were still considered rivals.

Shadow's face turned downcast as he was sucked into thoughts of the past. Lightning continued to flash outside, its thunder shook the castle, the wind howled like it was the end of the world and the rain down poured, creating small floods outside in a matter of minutes.

Meanwhile, not very far away, Queen Aleena was rapidly pacing in front of Princess Sally's bedroom. Like every important person in the castle, there was a sub-chamber just outside the real bedroom, which was where the magenta Queen was currently at. Her ever ready yes men, or guards as most people would call them, were giving her curious looks while looking like they were really doing their jobs.

While the sub-chambers held a very tense atmosphere, inside the actual bedchambers was a different story. Inside, Princess Sally was giving such a performance that she would have given even the Bridezillas a run for their money. She was currently attempting to destroy anything she could get her hands on… including an irreplaceable family heirloom that her mother had given her on her own wedding day and so on and so forth.

It was horrible luck that this kind of storm had sprung out of nowhere and caused the wedding to be set back for a day, maybe even a couple days if the storm continued. You never knew how long these things lasted; it was like the Gods were punishing her for forcing marriage on her eldest son against his will. She scowled; it wasn't like she had any choice in the matter! Sonic was making a huge mistake with having a fling with that sorry excuse for a hedgehog! And getting the experiment pregnant to boot!

Oh, she had no doubt that Shadow really loved her son and was never once thinking about taking over the throne. Hell, that hedgehog probably didn't even know about Sonic being a royal, let alone the heir of the throne since she knew that being the King was the last thing her free as the wind son wanted to be. It wasn't exactly something that her son liked to announce to the world, especially since he has gained quite a reputation as a hero the last couple of years.

She heard a loud smash come from inside the bedroom, including a rather pissed off high-pitched female scream, and Queen Aleena knew that something, probably very expensive, found its way into Sallys' hands and a rather aggressive death. She stopped her pacing, gave a deep sigh and rubbed her temples as a headache started to form in her head. She was starting to have deep regrets about signing that contract with King Acorn about his eldest and hers getting married in the future. Yes… very deep regrets.

*Ombra d'amore*

In ways that Queen Aleena didn't know, the storm had been a blessing. Sonic had long ago outrun his guards, but getting out of the castle was another obstacle altogether. Running in rain where you couldn't even see the hand in front of your face while standing still was like taunting the devil himself. In the end, you most likely would get burned… or killed in this matter. He was desperate to get to Shadow, but he wasn't stupid enough to get himself killed along the way.

His pregnant heggie was probably in the prison outside the castle, but finding the place would also be close to impossible to do as well. Sonia and Manic wouldn't have had the same problem as himself since they lived in this damn castle… His siblings! Of course! Why hadn't he thought of them before? They would have better luck than himself in finding Shadow.

With his plan in place, Sonic dashed down the hallway, not even having the slightest clue that he had just been standing right outside of the very hedgehog's room he was looking for in the first place…

Somewhere across the castle, the green and magenta triplets sighed in unison. Their plan had been to try to sabotage as much of the wedding preparations as possible. Like, wiping sewer sludge, curtsy of Manic and friends, all over the table cloths, bugs in the food and drinks and, Manic's personal favorite, a horde of mice being unleashed during the practice ceremony. However, the storm had put a damper on their plans as the wedding planners scrambled to pack in all the preparations in one space and it would probably look very unusual for the other two siblings of the royal family to just prance around the room like the party had already begun.

"Should we get back to Shadow to make sure that no one found him?" Manic suggested when it seemed like there was nothing they could do to delay the wedding anymore at the moment.

Sonia shook her head; Shadow was probably in the safest place he could be at the moment. Their mother wouldn't have dreamed that an elusive hedgehog like Shadow to be still in the castle, let alone in a room right down the hallway from Queen Aleena's own bedchambers. No, they had to keep away for the time being so they wouldn't draw any more attention to his room than necessary.

"Then what should we do now?"

"Camouflage."

"Camouflage?"

Sonia turned to look at her brother and away from the annoyed wedding designers. "Yes, camouflage. We don't want Mom to get suspicious of us, so we need to put on an act to make her think we're looking forward to the wedding."

Manic cocked his head to the side in confusion. "But we're not looking forward to the wedding, so… why?"

Despite herself, Sonia faceplamed. She sighed and started explaining her plan all over again so that even someone like Winnie the Pooh or Big the Cat would understand. Once she was finished, and when it looked like Manic finally understood, they headed off to find Princess Sally.

Sabotaging the wedding would have been only a temporary solution, as well as the storm; they needed to come up with something permanent to stop their mother's plans on getting Sonic married off. And Princess Sally was that plan. If they could somehow convince her that she would be better off without become Queen and marrying Sonic, then everything so far would be void. It was common law that if the eldest son of the royal family wasn't to be politically married off, than he could choose whoever he wanted as his partner.

Yes, partner. When the laws were written, nobody had ever thought that two men or women would ever fall in love with each other; it just wasn't something that computed in their minds back then would ever happen. That was the loophole that Sonia and Manic had planned to use right from the start.

It was true that she had a small crush on Shadow before this all happened or maybe it was just before she knew what was going on, she wasn't quite sure. However, she did know one thing; Sonic had never shown any real interest with anybody before Shadow. Sonic's relationship with Sally was always one of like a sister and he had tried so hard to turn it into something more than that, but it never did despite his best efforts. She herself had so many boyfriends and crushes and she couldn't and wouldn't take the one love her brother had ever had.

Sonic had _always_ been there for both Manic and her and now… it was time to pay back the favor. Now was the time for the royal family to step down and for the people to finally take over.

Sonia took out her communicator and punched in the Code Beta password and, almost immediately, a voice responded.

"Is it finally time, Sonia?"

"Yes it is, Rotor. Get everyone assembled by the time this storm is over… and tell Mina that her dream of crashing a wedding is about to come true." Sonia heard a muffled squeal of joy come from the communicator and smiled.

"Got it Sonia," she heard a slight smile coming from Rotor's voice and knew she could count on the guys on the other line. "See ya guys soon." A click came from the small device in her hand and she threw in on the ground before smashing it under her foot. She didn't want anyone to be able to detect their signal before her friends got here.

Whether they convinced Sally or not, they were going to need backup. Their mother wasn't going to take the decision sitting down and when they needed help, they had it. Unlike Queen Aleena, Sonic, Sonia and Manic had seen what the community was like. The people wanted more say in things and having a monarchy wasn't helping anything.

Their friends were formed for a reason. Sonia and Manic had created the group for their own revolution against the monarchy before the entire population rallied and ended up killing dozens of people. Having a group of specialists and inside help was the best way to go. The marriage… had just sped things up a little bit.

"Sonia! Manic!" Said hedgehogs turned around to see their overjoyed brother making his way over to them. "Guys, I've been looking all over for you! Have you seen Shadow anywhere?"

Manic looked away as Sonia answered. "No, we haven't, Sonic." The blue speed demon's joy quickly diminished. They couldn't tell their brother where Shadow was since the first thing he would do would be to take the ebony hedgehog as far away as possible from this place… and ruin all the planning that they've made so far.

"Could you, at least, help me find him?" Sonic knew it was an empty request by the way his siblings were looking at him, but he had to at least try.

His question was met with silence. Another strike of lightning flashed outside and the lights flickered out, leaving the three of them in darkness. "I'm sorry Sonic, but it would be best just to let things take their course," Sonia's voice spoke out in the blackness. Two pairs of footsteps echoed and Sonic knew that his siblings had taken their leave. It truly looked like he was all alone on this one.

** Hah! You guys thought I was gone for good, didn't ya? Nope! Can't get rid of me that easily!**

** Shadow: Damn… Thought she was gone.**

** Ever notice that you use the word 'damn' too much, Shadow? *Flashes back to the game Shadow the Hedgehog.***

** Shadow: … No…**

** *Rolls my eyes* Oh, before I sign off for now I would like to point out that I don't have anything against the show Bridezillas. Heck, I haven't even seen an episode. Oh, and you might want to brush up on some Archie Sonic characters and a lot of the old ones since I'll most likely be using a lot of them in the future.**

**So, like always, PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!**


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